


Winter's Bite

by AwatereJones



Series: Zombie Apocalypse Series [5]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: According to Driftwood also sexist, Action, Alt Verse, Bad Grammer, F/M, Gen, Humour, I Love Crumbly Cakesxxxx, M/M, Other, Romance, Suspense, WARNING I MAKE MISTAKES, Wee bit of smutt, Weevil - Freeform, Winter, Zombies, bad spelling, wolf - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2018-10-28 12:07:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 64
Words: 60,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10830957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwatereJones/pseuds/AwatereJones
Summary: Part five? Really? Hell's teeth. We are four months into the winter, time marches on and the gods are still watching their ant farm. It has been eight years since ZDay, the harsh long winter Ianto dreaded is upon them. Of course, people are still multiplying even as they might decline. if you don't like my style and sharing don't read.





	1. Chapter 1

We are four months into the winter, time marches on and the gods are still watching their ant farm.

It has been eight years since ZDay, the harsh long winter Ianto dreaded is upon them. Billy is now 18 and Marley is now pregnant but hasn't realised yet.

Of course, people are still multiplying even as they might decline.

**HOLDFAST VILLAGE**

Ianto and Jack have Hope (6) and little Dean (3 ½). Jack has recently birthed a healthy baby girl called Rose.

Billy (18) works Security and is with Marley (19) who is a Beautician and child care worker.

Micha (13) works laundry and kitchen, is living with grandparents Anna who heads the kitchen and Ifan the head Vet. The two waifs Ianto rescued in the city, Solomon (10) and Mia (7) live with them too

Sean is Head of Security and Clara is the Head Teacher with their son Liam (16) who works in Security with his Da. They also have a baby girl who is 14 months old called Destiny.

Alice is Head Teacher and Rhys is Head Mechanic and driver. Stephen (18) works with the livestock and the little boy Preston, from the newcomers is now 3. Alice also proudly has a newborn daughter, Melina.

Tosh and Owen have Blossom (7) and Ifan (6 ½). The third child was another girl named Poppy, much to everyone's delight and is now almost 3. Tosh has just discovered she is pregnant again.

Owen's little Weevil Frank is now a hefty wee boy (almost 4) that Ianto had a soft spot for.

Current Mayor Vic is Security and general hand and his wife Fay works Laundry and Kitchen with their children Andrew (17) Security and general hand, Michael (15) in livestock. Fay has a surprise late life baby girl, Penny.

Martha is Security and Garden and her two husbands Andy is Security and Livestock, Mickey is Security and garden and they have Trixibell (3 ½) and little Clarkson who is almost 2.

Francine deputy head Kitchen and Clive works Livestock. They are raising Kitty (11)

Leo works Security and his daughter is Amber (8). He is currently dating Patsy from the other village but its early days and Ianto does not want to push.

Tish is a kitchen worker and set to marry Kev.

Ebony is a Jack of all trades, Boomer works Security and mechanic with her brother Randy who works Security and Livestock and her children are Eric (9), Keera (6) and Raven (4). She is the proud mama to new son Leo.

Dean and Frank are firm friends, with Martha's wee 'Bella the third musketeer. The three year olds are nearer four… or forty in their wee minds…make them a force to be reckoned with and sometimes only Ianto can talk them down from their tantrums. Amazingly, Frank doesn't seem to realize he is a Weevil and continues to strive to keep up.

…

**Fallback Village – site 2**

Hailey works in the Kitchen and gardens, Art works in Maintenance and has Lewis (5 ½) the youngest boy is named Charlie and is now 2 ½. Art's blind son Freddy (14) is wanting to go back to Holdfast after winter and Art thinks it is time to let go. Hailey thinks she may be pregnant again.

Paige is Hailey's sister and works in the Kitchen and Crèche.

Emily works in the Laundry and Kitchen with Leon (7.)

Logan is a medic and Heather is the coms support with Tosh and they have Gill (9)

Sarah works security and is a nurse, son Travis (21) Security and general hand and little Clay (8)

Mathew is Head Gardener and security.

Patsy works Garden and livestock, brother Robin is a Mechanic, Olivia (6).

Robin is still the driver for the school run each week day, also ferrying food and supplies back and forth underground with the Crawler.

AJ and Rebel are now adults working in the gardening department.

Morris is currently the Chief of Fallback with Holden (6).

Sisters Juniper and Brandy work Kitchen and laundry, three children called Millie (11), Celia (9) and Rex (9) and one teenage boy (18) called Trey that is learning from Ebony to be maintenance.

Brandy won Morris and he is still oblivious to the cat fight that occurred in the kitchen recently. Ianto finds this quietly vexing. Seems Juniper accuses her of pinching him as she 'had' him first.

NEW COMERS

Abner and his son Samuel have settled as well, young Desiree and Trey seem to be clicking well.

Sarah and her daughter Rachel are still moving quietly but Sarah has proven to be a good seamstress which was a boon. She is due to birth any day.

'Little Kev' Forrest and his sister Freia are part of the huge crèche and have settled into life with gusto. Such is the resilience of children.

STRONGHOLD – the winter living quarters underground. The Family Place is the huge cavernous space turned into a hall and common area. Like a rabbit warren, Stronghold traverses a large distance, from distant mountains to a cliff face that they surmise may go as far as three more villages. The Wolf Pack has settled in an outer cave and the humans within the warm embrace of the earth.

.

.

.

.

.

85 souls + 1 Weevil and 3 babies pending

1 Wolfling

3 whelps

And the giraffe is still there too…don't ask.


	2. warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [   
>  ](https://postimg.org/image/f3pivhjd5/) [](https://postimage.io/)

Goddamn it!" Jack roared as he threw the hammer across the tunnel and it bounced off the rocks to land in the mud. With the newborn and his hormones still settling he was a bug bear to be around.

"Well, that helped" Rhys snorted and he held the patch over the pipe as water gushed down the front of him, "Thanks for that bud."

"Sorry" Jack sighed, "Rose is colicky with this damp."

"Well, let's fix this bloody leak then" Rhys muttered as he nodded at the puddle at his feet and Jack grimaced as he chose a second patch.

"These pipes should have lasted longer" Rhys sighed, "I should have bloody checked them before the move."

"We had no idea the winter would be so bitter" Jack agreed, "At least the pipes deeper are safe and warm, these bastards near the crust are the only ones leaking."

"Shit, we best remind tomorrow's up-top squad to go around turning on the taps to make sure the houses don't bloody freeze and split as well."

"Ahhhh, fuck" Jack moaned, "this is such a nasty one and we've barely been four months in."

"Look at it this way" Mickey said as he arrived on a four wheeler with more patch supplies, "Maybe this is all there is and we are making sure the rest of the winter goes without a hitch."

"If Ianto were here he would wash your mouth out for tempting the gods" Jack crowed and they all laughed as the water shot up into the air and the patch failed.

.

.

.

.

Ianto's pride in his daughter was extremely apparent as he stood with her strapped to his front while watching the children practice for a play they wanted to put on.

Romeo and Juliet.

Hope was Juliet…of course and Ifan Romeo. Frank was supposed to be Mercutio but clearly wanted to be Romeo as he stomped about the stage at the moment in Romeo's big floppy hat with an ostrich feather sticking out the top and the feather boa seemed a bold choice as he pretended.

Hope had turned from shock to laughter as the clown put in a show and Ifan quietly smouldered at his little 'brother' as Dean hooted and egged him on.

"Well done Frank but if you are Romeo who will help me with the lighting?" Ianto asked and the weevil swung to look at him.

"Well, I can't do it with Rose here" Ianto pointed at the baby like it was a growth, "A lot of bending, turning them to light the tower and stuff. I guess I could ask Holden."

Frank seemed to consider and then he politely offered the hat to Ifan, flicked the boa around his neck and wafted from the stage.

Cheers and clapping had him wafting back to bow, then sniff with distain at the peasants as everyone laughed at him and he leapt down to seize Dean and rub noses with him.

"You are a nutta" Dean said happily as he pulled at the boa and put it on, showing he had his Daddy in his veins as he camped now, swinging the boa as he pranced about and everyone clapped.

"Nice to see someone is having a good day" Jack said darkly from the doorway and everyone turned.

"We are doing Romeo and Juliet, not Swap Thing" Hope said with Ianto's dry wit and more sniggers as Jack poked his tongue at her.

"Oh Cariad," Ianto gasped with horror at the state of him and Jack watched the baby get unhooked and swung at the nearest person without a second thought as Ianto rushed to him, "Come on, the hot pools before you get a chill. My poor love."

Jack meekly let his husband lead him by the hand like he was a child, his pout epic as he was taken to the screened area for the 'Grupping' as the cheeky kids called it.

As Ianto fussed over his ruined clothing and his sorry state Jack sighed happily, content to be the only baby on Ianto's chest for a change. Ianto seemed to sense Jack's feelings and rubbed his back softly, "Jack, do you feel a bit left out?"

"No, I know it's your thing" Jack muttered, "Besides, you didn't grow her like the others so I understand it's important for you to carry her now."

Ianto's hand stilled as he tried to work out where Jack was going in his thoughts.

"you know, I like that about you" Jack continued, unaware of the confusion he had caused as per usual, "In the up-top months you are the leader, now you can be the nurturer. I like that. We can swap, do both…neither is the wife. We are both able to be men in our community."

Ianto's hand started swishing water over Jack as Jack sighed and closed his eyes, "I do love you Holdfast, so very much. We fit don't we? The same. Like…complimentary. I never thought I would have a mate that was equal to me, sometimes you still surprise me."

"Oh Cariad, that is mutual" Ianto whispered touched beyond words to learn that Jack was happy to share the light with him.

They drifted in the warmth of each other.


	3. laying it out

"Uncle?"

Jack looked up for the flooring he was laying around the water pool and smiled at Michael, motioning towards one of the caves, "Ianto is in there, he's the one who wants you bud."

"That looks great" Michael took a moment to look at the carefully laid floor that would stop the dust and grime that Ianto hated so much, turning the dirt floor into parquet. The baby was asleep in her wee basket on the table, the sound of the hammering not bothering her at all. Next would be the safety railings around the water until Rose was a good swimmer which would be in no time given the natural ability the other two had. Still, they were Ianto's' and Jack did worry about his own lack of swimming prowess until his later life.

Michael walked to the room Jack had indicated and stopped dead, the wardrobe taking his breath away. Ianto had covered the walls completely in protective plastic sheeting turning it into a bubble and the rows of clothing were pristine. Ianto was currently hanging one of his daughter's dresses and turned as he felt him enter.

"Ah, there you are" he smiled softly.

"You wanted me Uncle?"

"I have something to show you" Ianto's grin became one of excitement as he let Michael back to the main tunnel and the bug. To Michael's surprise the 3Ms were already there, sitting expectantly and Ianto seemed none too surprised as he climbed on board.

"How did they know we were going somewhere?" Michael asked with confusion.

"Because Tadda changed his shoes" Dean said calmly pointing to Ianto's combat boots and then slapping his goggles down and nodding, "Go Tadda."

The Bug took off with the same speed and affection as the long since damaged one, this new one a bright yellow instead of the previous red and as they belted along the music blared just as loudly with three little heads banging with enthusiasm.

Michael found himself doing the same as he started to have fun.

Then the tunnel opened and he realised they were in another cavern similar to Ianto and Jack's, just a bit smaller and with less glow bugs.

"This is one of the unexplored sites the Spider Mice found" Ianto was climbing out as the 3Ms clambered out and took off to the walls, to feel the rocks that seemed to glow as well. "Quartz."

"Wow, it's beautiful" Michael breathed.

"There is a whole city of them down this way, we counted five this big, several smaller" Ianto turned to look at him, "Bethany and co are already working on the steel girders to shore up the tunnel back there where the small amount of water was. We think the natural stream runs close to the surface there and that's why there is a little stream. I am worried that the rock face is unstable so until that is reinforced I don't want you all down here but once we give the OK some of you older kids can start exploring."

"you mean…" Michael finally got it and he spun to grab his lovely uncle, hugging him tightly in what would someday be him home. His and Micha's house. He kissed Ianto's cheek and cuddled against him as he thanked him and Ianto laughed softly.

"Just treat her right, all I want" Ianto replied as he held the teenager.

"Oh Uncle, it will take a couple of years to get this to the state she will want it, a lot of dirt to track out, electric to be wired in, water piping, years. I can do it all how she wants it, we can have it just right by the time we marry. Look, another side room for the baby she will give me!" Michael was grinning as he looked into one of the caves and Ianto felt his heart swell as he watched the young man gush over his one day home. "It doesn't have a pool like yours though."

Ianto nodded and flicked a thumb to his left , "No, there are hot pools further along, also not safe yet. This entire space is off limits until we get things shored up along that tunnel. It gives me the heebie-jeebies and I want it secure with enough scaffolding for a bloody apartment block. I'm showing this to you now so you know, can plan and next spring when the recons begin you will have purpose."

"Oh thank you uncle" Michael's face was shining with delight and Ianto knew Jack had been right to suggest this, to give them a project idea to look forward to.

For he was going to wed them earlier than they thought, he was not going to enforce the 18 year limit. 16 had been agreed to by the committee as the youngest age for the younglings and although he knew he was being an old fart, he still wanted things right.

Just a few more years, plenty of time to make this the new home for the teens, the other caves similar to be allotted as couples arose. One day this would be a new development, a new suburb as Jack gigglingly called it.

They were growing, they needed to spread out.

If only for his mental health.

All that bloody talking, shouting, loud music.

Gods.

He was such an old fart, wasn't he.


	4. floored

Jack had finished the flooring and watched with mild nervousness as Ianto walked up and down on the fresh flooring. Then he turned to Jack and smiled, making Jack's innards melt.

"Of all the things you have given me…this has to go in the top ten" Ianto said happily, "Proper floors. Oh Cariad, I love it."

Jack smiled as he watched Ianto kneel to run his finger over the wood, clucking softly at the smoothness from Jack's back breaking sanding.

"Well, the warmth will pool underneath too, the section at the back wall that I started last week is already warm under bare feet."

"Jack, this was a wonderful idea, so thoughtful and I am so happy" Ianto strode over and kissed him, one of those long hard ones he likes.

"So, the boy likes his cave?" Jack asked.

"Yes, his face was a picture" Ianto smiled as he laid his head on Jack's shoulder, "I've still not told them the age limit was decreased either. Keeping that for the middle of this when things get hard."

"You keep saying that" Jack frowned, "How do you mean…hard?"

"well, there are 80+ now so obviously there is going to be bickering, feuds and stupid misunderstandings. In another couple of months we will be ready to shoot someone." Ianto explained, "That's when I can redirect them with the news."

"A few more…Ianto. How long do you think this winter will last?" Jack asked with more than a little concern.

"If the last was anything to go by I am seeing a good seven months? Maybe more" Ianto sighed, "Cariad, the thaw might not come next year. We might have a mild period then back to the cold. Like last time."

"Ah shit, we had hoped that was an anomaly." Jack groaned.

"I know it wasn't" Ianto replied as he pulled back to cup Jack's face in his hands, "The planet is correcting herself. Without man fucking up the atmosphere, polluting her water…she is taking a timeout to heal. This means she will be unpredictable. This is a new world, I think these year long winters followed by a year of normal weather might get worse. I don't mean an ice-ages…but definitely she seems to prolong the winters."

"We could face another ice-age this millennia though" Jack agreed, "That's what worries you."

"Yeah, we need to be more efficient down here, just in case the weather up-top makes topside living impossible. We will survive down here" Ianto nodded, "We just need to get more fucking smart."

"Well, I know we are but it's the rest of them that will be the problem, you know Sean went a bit stir crazy last time, I think Clara might shoot him if it happens again" Jack grimaced as Ianto laughed softly at the reminder of the day Sean dressed in his wife's clothes and paraded around with a falsetto voice to match the false boobs made from socks. He had made everyone laugh, except for the wife who saw her favourite bra being manhandled and the black eye had lasted for over a week.

Nope.

Gotta occupy them.

"Melina is fussing today, Alice wondered if you were able to babysit for class" Jack remembered what he had been asked to pass on and Ianto lit up at the mention of his grandchild…yeah…I know…family dynamics can do your head in.

"Rose would love to spend time with him, they are so close in age" Ianto gushed as he rushed to the snoozing baby and clasped his hands with glee, "I can maybe do a charcoal drawing of them together."

Jack swung with delight as Ianto's pictures were in high demand since he had shown his artistic flare and Jack pointed to a space above their dinging table "One for there?"

"Oh! Boring charcoal? No, it would have to be oil. Hmmm. I could sketch it out today and check the canvases for one big enough, yeah. Lovely. Rose and wee Melina for there."

"Melina, that took time to grow on me, do you think Rhys chose it?" Jack said as they walked to the Family Place, the little baby waving happily as they passed people who all stopped to croon.

The place was heaving with life and several voices started at once as Ianto motioned for them to all calm down.

"Come on, you know the rules. Food first!" he scolded lightly, "I am so hungry I could eat something Owen cooked."

Common laugher and jeers as Owen flipped him the bird and Frank flicked a bread roll at Bella.

Just another lunchtime under the ice.


	5. scent of trouble

The world above and below was asleep so Ianto slid out with a soft kiss to his sleepy mate before going topside to check on the night shift.

Sean was sitting on the tank fiddling with an old walkie and he looked up at Ianto loped past, watching as the Wolfling slid out of the village and down to the river.

Ianto felt the wolves approaching and he slowed his run so they could catch up and they all enjoyed the crisp winter air. The one with pups was with them today, another had stayed back to babysit and Ianto realised that this is what he had created as well.

Everyone sharing the babies, everyone running at the same pace.

Somehow, it felt right that he had moulded the village into a hard, lean pack. It was a hard lean winter so at least they were on the right page.

Deer scat.

They changed course and when they found the stag Ianto veered away, leaving his cousins to their kill as he leaded up to the top of the ridge to scent and look over at Fall Back, then he was there. There was signs of deer there as well as rabbit. Ianto made a mental note to remind them that the hunting could begin to ease the boredom.

The night was settling in and he was about to head for home when he got a niggle, and he never ignored those so instead, he turned south and ran like the wind, stretching and loping so fast that he seemed to glide over the snow and I swear to the gods he didn't not leave tracks, slowing to stop at the old bridge.

Something wasn't right and as he approached it he felt something in the wind that made him hesitate and he scented the air as he walked around the bridge, examining it.

Weeeeelllll…..shit.

The man was snugly dug into the snow so he could see out, but keep the concrete strut behind him. Ianto sat and waited for the wind to change slightly, then scented again. The smell of a sour nappy had him sighing.

He was glad he had thought to take his back pack this time and he veered back to the tree line, then transformed and dressed, keying the coms to give a position and tell them there was a man, a baby and probably a woman freezing to death at the old bridge.

When Ianto approached and called out softly so as not to alarm them, the man sliding out to look at him with open shock.

"Hi. I don't mean to alarm you but you do realise there is a storm coming that will take us below freezing tonight?" Ianto said as he crouched to appear slammer and less threatening, "I smell soap and see that your clothes are clean. You've run from somewhere, I'm not trying to scare you. If someone is following you I need to know, I have my own family out here."

"We…we were part of what was supposed to be the new Navarra. It turned into something we didn't want to be part of" the man said guardedly.

"Not enough women? Those in charge claiming who they wanted like they were chattels?" Ianto guessed, "You're not the first to run. Not the first to choose this path but you are off track for London. You got turned around in the hills and are running parallel to the road you've been looking for. Not hard, so much grown over and the snow has covered what is left of man and his misdeeds."

"Shit" the man slumped, totally bereft.

"There is someone coming to pick me up from my camp, you will hear the engine soon, it's called Rolling Thunder because of the large motor. Don't be alarmed, if you don't want help we will not approach you again but I can provide maps for you to head where you want to be. Look, I'm not joking and I know there is a baby behind you. That shelter will not be enough and if the wolf pack smells you they might not be too happy."

There was whispering as she pleaded with him and Ianto pretended he couldn't hear, the distant sound of Rolling Thunder approaching making Ianto rise and walking over towards the trees for his back pack.

"Wait!" the man fell out and started to crawl toward him, "Wait. Can …can we leave later? I mean…you won't keep us?"

Ianto turned and canted his head as a lone wolf appeared on the horizon to see where he was and it gave a warning bark that had Ianto turning to answer. The man was now on his feet as Ianto howled and the wolf took off to tell the pack there were intruders, Rolling Thunder cresting the ridge line with running lights lighting the snow.

"Ah, there they are" Ianto smiled.

Then he looked back as the woman emerged with not one but two babies in her arms.

One was clearly not hers as its dark skin looked black against the snow and Ianto sighed as he saw the problem.

They were definitely being followed if they had babies that were not theirs.

Someone will be missing them for sure.


	6. worrying the matter

Ianto sat watching as the young woman handed the dark skinned baby to Martha without a second thought, but kept a tight hold in the second baby. Hers?

Ianto covertly sniffed and decided it was so, he could smell breast milk. Hmm.

"So, tell me" he leaned forward, "Were you wet nursing the other? Like, you have one so you are given the other as well so the mother loses her milk?"

"No" she whispered, "they like the milk. We are like cows, they…they like the milk."

"Like a Harem, they had several women pregnant at the same time, others with little ones where they would have them, one taking two babies or sometimes three if they had good milk production, then the other women were expelling for the …good of the group. Like fucking cows" the man said with a bitter snort.

"Oh my god, they never thought of goats?" Martha asked with confusion as the little one pulled at her, smelling her own milk and she crooned.

"So, not the same babies? He seems happy asking Martha for a tit" Mickey asked as he watched what Ianto was seeking as well, "Shit. Like a crèche…wait…so many babies. How did they feed them all as toddlers?"

The woman's face fell further and Ianto swallowed thickly, then asked the last question he wanted to, "Did you eat any of it?"

"No, we are vegetarian" the man sighed, "They were happy with that, more for them."

Mickey looked at Ianto with silent confusion.

"They fatten the babies up and when they are to the crawling stage….maybe toddling stage? Nice and fat on the spit" Ianto said dreamily as Mickey blinked, then erupted with roaring and curing, rising then he sat as he ran out of steam to ask softly for Art to pull over.

Mickey threw up and then climbed back in, seizing the baby from Martha and holding it to him like it needed his protection, a pale black man in the running lights.

Dawn was close as they rolled into the village and the woman watched the dogs that started to run alongside and as they came to a stop Ianto got out for them to maul, then the others climbed out, not sure what to do as above ground was in winter lockdown.

"We don't have a choice" Ianto finally said out loud and then nodded, the coms cracked as agreement was reached down below and they all climbed back into Rolling Thunder to head around to the riverside entrance then down into the motor pool.

Rhys was waiting, reaching for the baby with a gentle look of delight, cooing as he wrapped it in a blanket and the woman started to weep as she saw the kindness.

Jack was waiting as well, a little Rosebud in his arms and Ianto moved quickly to gather her up and whisper to Jack what was happening.

Jack knew about Cannibals, they all did and he needed reassurance that they hadn't eaten meat as well, then he nodded and led them to one of the outer caves that was set up for incoming families.

The woman eagerly went to lay on the bed, then stopped as she looked down at herself.

"I will take you to our bathing area" Martha offered, "Some fresh clothes for you all and some food?"

"Oh god, please" the woman begged.

"Names?" Ianto asked politely, "I said I am Ianto, this is my husband Jack. That's Martha and her husband Mickey…well one of them. She chose two the greedy mare and this is my daughter, Rose."

"Oh" the man blinked as he looked at Martha and the gun slung over her shoulder, "Er, Terrance, Terry. My …well. Girlfriend I guess, that baby is mine I think…ah…Adele and little Sperilla. That one you are holding was called Gypsy by his mother before she…went."

"Went?"

"She didn't heal well and…they decided she was not good anymore" Adele balked as she tried to say the next part. "Spoiled"

"So they ate her" Ianto finished for them as Martha took a physical step back, only now realising what had upset Mickey.

"Yeah. He was due to go next" Adele nodded at Gypsy, "I promised his mama I would take care of him. She was my friend. My only friend in that place and…he could get us out."

Ianto knew a few things at once, seeing them dawn on Jack as well and he nodded as they had a silent conversation using 'Frank Speak' before both looking down with regret.

One. Whoever had them would want them back.

Two. Whoever had them would not like to be known or leave anyone who might be a threat.

Three. Whoever had them would love to find this place.

Four. None of the babies belonged to the stupid sap lovingly holding the hand of the woman.

Ianto moved out towards the entrance and Jack watched him go then signed to Mickey to alert the security details.

Trouble was coming.

If not already here.

It didn't smell right at all.


	7. all on edge

Ianto went on alert, patrolling past the bridge, the drone passing overheard telling him that Tosh had the same thought and he waited to hear if she saw anything.

The new coms for his Wolfling ear was silently blinking a tiny blue light, something Ianto didn't really like but knew it showed battery strength so he accepted it was one of Tosh's requirements.

She found evidence of their travel, alarming Ianto who had hoped they had at least covered their tracks and when Tosh said the drone had reached its limit he told her to call it back he would go on a wee way just to check.

"Don't go too far love" Jack's voice was warm caramel in his ear, "You are already more than two day's travel by a mere mortal. Set the cameras for the bridge and get back here."

Ianto huffed softly but did as he was told, pausing to scent the air one more time before turning back for home. Sure he had missed something, his nerves frayed.

Jack was waiting for him and they headed for the hot pools, Ianto panting as his body tried to adjust from the cold, then sliding in still in Wolfling form before transforming so his human self wouldn't get frostbite.

"You're scared" Jack whispered after a while and Ianto grunted as he wriggled against him.

Mickey is in love with the little one, looks like he wants it but Martha is not sure if she wants another one" Jack whispered as he kissed Ianto's forehead, "Andy doesn't care either way. He wants the other one as well. If he could take them all and a piglet he would be happy."

"He's a good man" Ianto sighed, finally warm.

"I'm thinking we should talk to him about transferring to the school nursery. Maybe we have had him in the wrong place. The kids love him, it's all women and maybe a man there will show the kids that gender roles are a thing of the past." Jack was thinking out loud, giving Ianto more time to think as well. "Marley is acting squirrelly again, she's not gone clicker in a while but when I suggested she go after you she shook her head like I was telling her to shave her head."

"I think she's preggers" Ianto whispered. "But she doesn't know, just feels weird."

"If she is…"

"Then going to clicker mode might not be a good idea" Ianto finished for him, "We don't know how her body will react to a child, I don't want to risk it. I have been trying to work out how to broach the idea but she has been so busy with the winter cuts."

"Everyone so bored, haircuts and manicures are a time waster" Jack sighed with agreement, "Gods, she even did the fat old dog with half an ear the other day, did you see it's orange nails?"

Ianto hummed as he felt Jack swishing the hot water over them both and he kissed Jack's neck.

"Careful, we're in the Grup part but its daytime love" Jack laughed softly, kissing Ianto back with affection.

Ianto rose from the water like a fucking god, Jack swallowing as he watched the rivulets of water kissing his skin like he wanted his kips to, Ianto grinning as he knew he was making a scene.

"Oh shit" Kev said with surprise as he stood in the doorway, "Didn't know it was taken."

"Just teasing my mate …gonna run naked now" Ianto said conversationally as he slipped past the grinning Hawaiian and Jack yelped as the white arse of his Holdfast disappeared.

They ran giggling like children, cupping their crotches in their hands and more than one person was passed with their laughter joining in.

Thank god the natural heating was now heating the entire under-village.

"Oi" Rhys called out as he saw them approaching, shielding his baby's eyes as they thundered past, "Bloody cheeky, that is!"

"Lovely cheeks too, best you've ever seen" Jack's voice echoed as it faded and Rhys laughed softly as he looked down at Melina, "See that? That's your gene pool young lady."

Melina gave a gummy grin to show she wouldn't mind some nakedness either and Rhys kissed her sweet face, wandering off for the motor pool, his limpet his for the day as Alice settled back into the school.

Hope was sitting by the pool of water and looked up as her parentals ran past, looking over at Ifan who was folding clothes like a washer woman, his face showing no change in what was clearly a normal occurrence.

And why not?

The body is a wonderful thing, nothing to be ashamed of. They swam naked all the time.

Marley entered with Rose and blew them a kiss, smiling as Ianto emerged in plain black clothing that showed he was on security detail up top today "Hey darling."

"Hi Taddy" she smiled happily, "I see you're going topside, was gonna…."

"Actually I need you to take Rose" Ianto said, hefting the baby back at her, "Me and Jack wanted to take the Cats out to see how deep the snow is between villages in case there has to be top travelling."

"Oh!" she said happily cuddling the sweetling, "Cool."

She left with a bounce in her step and with her favourite thing as Jack emerged dressed the same.

"When we get back I can get her alone" Ianto said to Jack as he pulled on his boots, "Plant the seed of the idea of a baby."

Jack looked around and realised the baby was gone again, he hadn't even got a kiss.

He felt his hackles rise.


	8. food

"I wouldn't trust Rose with just anyone" Jack said to Ianto with a frown, "she will stay near Alice, right?"

Ianto turned to look at him with surprise, "Are you questioning my decision in going topside with you? Or giving our daughter to Marley."

"I just hate leaving her" Jack sighed, seeing that he had ruffled fur, "I will pine."

Ianto smiled as he forgave him, "Of course you will Cariad, it will make the homecoming all the sweeter for that first smell and squeeze."

"Scratch and sniff, eh?" Jack grinned, "She has one too? It's hereditary?"

Ianto rolled his eyes as he started to walk towards the smell of food and Jack bounced along beside him.

"Clearly thrown to my side then." Jack crowed.

"Yes" Ianto replied with his poker face, "pouts like you too."

"Oi!" Jack pouted.

Ianto laughed softly as they walked into the Family Place and Frank was already holding everyone's attention with a silly walk up and down the room, looking like a very weird John Cleese Character.

The bowler hat looked ridiculous with the feather boa and Dean's choked laughter was clearly the fuel for this fire. The children's end of the table had the higher benches and chairs, also more noise and mess as they enjoyed doing their own thing and Jack also noted the occasional adult chair down there so they were not alone in their games. Nice to think that some things don't change, all children need reminding to eat and stop talking. Jack smiled as he also saw that more than one had already filled their water glasses, others waiting for milk or hopefully juice. No child appeared worried, overly hungry or upset.

Like a wee pack of wild animals with a couple of handlers to make sure nobody looses an eye.

Ianto scooped Frank up and he squealed as Ianto kissed him and sat with him still on his lap, then asked if he had eaten yet.

No

"Go sit down sweetheart, I smell pie" Ianto whispered the Frank squealed with glee as he ran to slide in between Dean and Bella, little hands all clasping together as three little heads bowed.

"What are they doing?" Jack asked.

"Giving thanks" Ianto answered as he buttered a roll, "I think they have decided to take prayer, I don't know what else they like but they are watching everyone and I think their form of religion might be interesting as it evolves."

Several other children bowed their heads as well, the children's end growing silent as Hope rose, looking around with that same eye her Tadda had when demanding silence.

"Thanks to the mother for our home" she demanded and heads nodded. "Thanks to the father for the food. Thanks to the brother for the protection. Thanks to the sister for the hugging. Thanks to the baby for remembering to say thanks."

Jack was transfixed as this prayer was said, little heads all moving as one and he saw his daughter for the Captain she would be one day, leading those who were weak, strengthening and reassuring. He had long thought Billy would lead but now he realised he had been silly. Like now, this pack would be led by more than one alpha and his family name would carry through them all.

Finally she sat and they crowed as the little pies started coming out of the kitchen area, Ianto smacking his lips to show he was excited too. As is their way, the children were fed first, then the elders as those young and strong tended to those who had cemented their place at the hearth.

More of Jack's world was seeping through and he wondered if this as the beginning of the teachings that were part of his life. The beginnings of the new ways.

The old ways, long since gone renewed to continue for centuries.

As it should be.


	9. spoiling things

I got a comment about how sexist the prayer was so instead of coming back to it in a later chap like I was going to, I will try to explain it now.

Mother Earth is their home. Father Time provided the food. Big Brother Tech provides the security and Sisterly love the hugs. Babies need to remember to say thanks, LOL

In my cultural religion, Mama is the earth, Papa the sky marking the time with his sun. Brothers carved the world while fighting over their mother creating the valleys and the mountains with their weapons as they struck at each other and left marks in her instead. Sisters are the nurturers treated like princesses and babies treasured gifts to be taught of these things.

This is the prayer's origins and it was going to be discussed by the adults in a later chap as they tried to understand it in the ways their children had seen it. Hope is no normal child and her mind is so advanced that I might imagine her capable of creating a little prayer like this.

If I have offended those of you who are fighting for equality please remember that children do not see that debate that rages over their heads. This is a child's view of things and Hope clearly sees the gods at play in things.

* * *

 

9

As they ate Jack rose and walked down to retrieve his baby from the pen and he walked back up to sit and cuddle her as he ate, Ianto humming happily as his grandmother slid another little pie onto his plate and kissed him lovingly.

"Oh Nainny, you spoil me" he sighed happily.

"My job to" she replied, then turned to Jack, "And you? Have you had enough sweetheart?"

"Wonderful ta Nainny" he smiled back at her, "Just letting it settle."

"These were Micha's" she said proudly, "She is coming along so nicely in the kitchen, a wonderful cook and teacher to the others."

"Rhia would have been so proud" Ianto agreed softly, now able to speak of his sister without that feeling of loss and failure. Looking for Micha as he knew he had not failed her in the end, not as long as her only remaining child was flourishing like this.

Ianto looked around and frowned as he wondered where she was, unable to see her or Michael, "She's not still working, surely."

"No darling, she's taken the food to our guests with Michael" Anna soothed and Ianto's smile faded.

"What? I thought…we agreed to limit contact" Ianto started to rise, alarmed by the news and she huffed as she pushed him back down.

"Don't be silly, they are harmless for goodness sake!" she scolded, "Michael is with her and they took the Cricket"

The Cricket is a small two person ATV that Michael had been building with Mickey and Rhys' help. Michael had been using it to ferry building supplies to his new cave until Ianto found him and scolded him severely, the shoring up and re-enforcing of those tunnels still ongoing.

"Well, I would have rather Sean or Mickey take it, we are supposed to limit contact for the first few weeks, that's the rules" Ianto frowned.

"And when were they last adhered to young man?" she demanded, getting huffy back "Those babies need feeding."

"Wait, I thought Mickey and Martha…"

"They wanted him back, felt weird about us taking him" she shrugged, Ianto now reaching out to get Tosh's attention.

"Did anything come up on the scans? Anything on surveillance? Ianto asked and she looked at him blankly, "The Others."

"No weapons, Owen sad their bloods were clean, no illness or infections" she replied, "No detectable tech."

Ianto stared at her as he got a standard entry examination reply…they hadn't been monitoring them. He sat and steamed, blaming himself for bypassing the rules with Kev and Sam's family which everyone had accepted as the new way for all.

He leaned over and whispered to Marley, "I need a favour."

"Sure" she smiled softly.

"I want you to promise not to go full clicker first."

Her smile faded as she stared at him and then she silently nodded, her eyes hardening as she sensed his disquiet.

"I need a couple of clickers, just two or three. All you will need to spare, I want you whole, here with us" he said and she considered, then as he watched three clickers walked from her little finger to stand on the table cloth, her finger becoming a stub like an amputee.

"Like that Tad?"

"Good girl, oh my cleverling" he crooned, kissing her cheek, "They have not been monitoring the Others. I am nervous. Send them to bug the place."

She snorted at the term and nodded, the clickers exiting the room and Billy looked up to see them fly past, as did a couple of other people and they all turned to look at Ianto and Marley as they whispered to one another, then Ianto straightened and smiled serenely, soothing all but Billy who watched Marley frown into her food, then suddenly grin with all her teeth showing, a rare beautiful smile her usually only saw when they were alone.

Whatever his Ta had just been whispering, it had both alarmed and excited her.

He also recognised that it had been done with considerable stealth so he didn't call attention to it, accepting whatever his Tad was doing it was for the good of them all and he returned to the conversations around him as Ianto watched Jack feed their baby girl. His head canted slightly, he also listened for the Cricket's soft whine an when the two lovebirds walked through the room he revisited the urge to openly scold instead smiling and waving as they took their seats.

Micha was flushed, giggly and so happy as Michael filled both their plates and attended to her like she was his queen, which in his eyes she was. They were going to be such a handsome couple when grown and their babies would be so cute. Ianto could hardly wait.

His eyes slid towards the exit and he wondered.

Something just wasn't right with the Others and he was going to work out what it was.

Marley would tell him so.


	10. Hope's insight

"Tad?"

Ianto knew Billy had noticed and would not let it pass so he turned from his wandering and waited for him to catch up.

"Just walking to settle the food" Ianto said softly, "And consider things. The Others. I don't like something about them but can't put my finger on it."

"So...you asked Marley to put hers on them instead?" Billy asked, having seen her stumped little finger.

Ianto slipped into a side room that served as a reading annex, "Look. They are not being monitored, maybe that's my fault because I bypassed protocol with Kev and Sam's crew but it never occurred to me that these Others were being so easily accepted as well. I get a ..."

"Vibe?"

"Yes love, a vibe off them that is making my hackles rise" Ianto nodded, "I might be over protective with your sister so tiny yet or it might just be that they are not telling us the truth..."

"About the babies not being theirs?" Hope startled them, a rare thing to do with Ianto but his changeling daughter was as stealthy as her dam, her eyes gleaming in the soft light, "They don'y smell of any of them and I don't think either baby is theirs."

"How do you know" Ianto asked, crouching to show he was purely interested, not angry, "When did you meet them darling?"

"Nainny took them clothes for the babies and them, I helped carry. Ifan came with but I said the others had to wait back. They give me a ....like...biting a too cold ice-block and you get that shiver down your spine. They are lying." She paused and canted her head as she considered and Billy crouched as well, "I think whoever those babies belong to, they are not going to be happy about them pinching them."

"They said that the people were eating the babies, that's why they had to run" Billy said and Ianto watched his daughter's face as she frowned deeply.

"But...why save two babies that aren't yours but not your own baby?" she asked and Ianto face palmed as she revealed the thing he had been searching for. "She had her own baby to have milk, right Tadda?"

"My angel" Ianto crooned, cupping her face and kissing her gently with so much affection, "My sweetling. So clever. Yes, that is what I was missing. Thank you Hope. I do so appreciate your thoughts and insight here."

"They will come looking" she now looked towards the door, towards the Others, "If they didn't know about us they will. If it was one of ours we would search no matter how long it took."

"Yeh" Ianto huffed with annoyance, then looked up as Jack stood in the doorway was a sleepy baby in his arms.

"What' this?"

"Hope has pointed out something that is extremely valid and I missed" Into said with pride, "We do not think the babies are theirs. She has been close enough to scent as well and feels neither baby is the woman's. We think they stole the babies, we also dispute the cannibal claims. Hope is the one to say it."

"They have saved two babies that are not their own babies, but the woman with milk had a baby too. Where is hers?" Hope explained to her father as he leaned against the wall to listen, "I don't think they are truthing us. They took the babies but not for that. I think they stole them from someone and now they are afraid they will be caught. They smell of fear and lies."

Ianto watched Jack consider, then he nodded, "Owen took their blood to check for any contagions, I can ask him to do a DNA check. We will know if they have a claim to those children or not."

"If not we have a shit-storm to sort out" Billy sighed as he rose, "If they do belong to someone we can't righteously keep them, can we. If and when someone comes knocking not only do we have something they want....they will see that we have a lot of things they need. They are like a fucking Trojan horse, right?"

"Yea, good analogy" Ianto smiled as he hugged his son, "We have a lot of young, a few impending a well. The last thing we need is a feud or attempted hostile takeover."

"So if you are right?" Jack asked, "What do you suggest Holdfast?"

"We have few options. We either keep them and fight, hope they don't find us..."

"But they will. We would." Hope interrupted, her head canting as well, "We will have to either give them back or fight for them. If we fight we might lose some people. We need to decide if these Others are worth that risk, to make enemies that might have more numbers that us? For people that aren't truthing to begin with? Do we trust them?"

"There is no way of knowing their numbers or firepower, you are right there rosebud, "Ianto smiled as he used her baby nickname, "Look, they arrived clean, well kept and their clothes were relatively new. Similar to us, right?"

Hope nodded.

"So, that in mind...they must have a base of operations with power, water the basics right?" Ianto surmised, "Well fed. I did not smell sickness or disease. I also did not smell that sticky sweet Cannibal stench of a muncher."

"Muncher" Jack repeated as he heard the term for the cannibals of the future and he now knew where that had come from. He grinned as he looked at his family, plotting like superheroes in a bloody cave.

"Marley will tell us soon enough" Billy decided, "I propose we go back to yours, settle and wait."

As they walked back to Ianto and Jack's underworld home Hope took another glance back toward the Others.

She was unsettled.

They were making her hackles rise.


	11. breadcrumbs

Marley entered and sat next to Billy, reaching for his hand and he saw that her own hand was complete once more.

"Babe?" he asked softly, "What do you have?"

"Neither child is happy. Grizzling, sad. The grups are not that nurturing either. I sense that they are terrified. They know we are watching them. They give each other different names to what they gave us and they have weapons. Knives they keep strapped to their forearms under the thick clothing." She paused as Jack made a noise of irritation, she then continued, "Also...they know they were being followed. Whispers of 'are they still there' and 'did we leave a trail' and the last one I heard before coming back was 'did we leave enough pointers.' So I think they are leading...not fleeing."

"Shit" Jack leaned back to consider.

"They were looking not running. The babies are their bait." Ianto whispered with anger.

"I believe so Tad" she nodded, "I think they might be seeking other survivors and the babies make them seem to be the ones weaker than those offering help. I can't detect tech so they must have laid something outside? It is like they are waiting. Expecting."

"Yeah" Ianto rose, "I need to walk the trail, slowly. Exactly. If they were dropping markers I need to find them. Fuck. Fucking clever bastards."

"I will get Owen onto those DNA tests, Billy go get your Uncle Sean and tell him as quietly as you can" Jack said as he rubbed little Rose's back, "Last thing we need is a lynching."

"Shit. After what happened last time there was a threat....yeah." Billy sighed as he kissed Marley, "I guess you are going with Tad then."

"No" Ianto replied quickly, "I need her to go to Owen. Jack I need you to follow on a Cat. If there are markers or some sort of beacon I will need your eyes. Marley is best here if we need backup."

Billy looked at his Tad and canted his head, knowing he was fumbling and Marley smiled softly as she whispered, "Taddy thinks I might be with child."

Billy turned slowly to gape, then let out an almighty roar of glee, lifting her as she slapped at him and laughed, "We don't know for sure, stop it."

"Taddy is never wrong, never" He was weeping as he crushed her to his chest, "Oh Gods, my prayers answered. Gods."

"If she is, no clicking" Ianto explained, "She can afford to give a little...not enough to lose body mass. I have no idea if an unborn would survive a full on clicker mode."

Billy nodded as he agreed and kissed her again, "I'll go get Uncle Sean and Uncle Owen. We will meet you at the clinic then Uncle Sean can meet Dad at Tosh's .....Tosh? She looked exhausted at the table."

"Freddy" Ianto replied, "Time he showed his mettle."

"Agreed"

They moved off to do their deeds with Billy dancing along the corridor, Marley scolding softly and when they entered the Family Place no one thought anything of their flushed smiles. Jack had handed Rose to his son who then handed her to the matriarch, Nainny crooning as she settled in the large rocking chair with her wee dumpling.

Sean and Owen readily followed Billy when asked and once in the corridor he explained the problem as Owen reared back with shock.

"First though, you need to give me a check" Marley whispered, "Taddy thinks I'm up the duff."

"YES!" Owen roared, much as Billy had and people shook their heads then continued with their morning rituals.

Once at the clinic Owen's hands shook as he waved the scanner, then did a happy dance that looked remarkably like Frank's.

 _So that's where he learnt it then_.

Marley lay quietly grinning up at her love, their kiss sweet before he followed his Taddy's brother towards the Coms Room where Jack and Freddy were hard at work.

"Bloody colder than a witch's tit" Ianto huffed down the coms and Jack grinned, Pulling on his coat that was a winter version of his great coat, fashioned from oil slicked leather and lined with thick rabbit fur.

"I'm leaving on the Cat now baby" Jack called out as he zipped up the long coat, "I will look for your tracks until the ridge line where I know you will start hiding them."

"What else is a tail like this good for?" came the reply and they all smiled.

"Marley is" Jack said as he reached for the coms waiting in the small box on the counter, "You were right."

"Awesome" came the gravelly growl, Ianto panting as he hurried, then silence.

Jack left on the large machine as the rest of them kept vigil at the coms, Freddy intensely staring into space as his ears worked overtime.

"Babe?"

"Shhhh, looking Cariad."

"Well I can't see a damned thing" Jack huffed.

"Tell me about it" Freddy muttered and they all laughed as the young man made a joke about his own blindness.

"He's near marker three buddy" Billy said to his friend and the screen burst into life with the camera angels about that area. "There! He's in the fifth sector"

Freddy grinned as his fingers flew and more screens flicker then they got all that lower corner of sector three showing Ianto from several angles as he dug his huge snout in the snow, then came back with a small....rock?

"Babe? What the fuck is it?"

"I hope you handed off our daughter before going potty mouth. It...it's not giving off anything but but...well. It sort of smells. Like ionized." Ianto said with confusion, "I am leaving it here at these tree roots for you, it must be giving off something that is traceable. I am moving forward, I will know what to feel for now. It's like a warmth in the snow."

"Warmth" Owen frowned, his eyes sliding as he looked at the huge map of their country, "Ianto...it's not radioactive material is it?"

The huge creature froze and turned to look at the very camera they were looking through and they saw his eyes widen, "I had that in my mouth. They....shit do they still have some? Near those babies? Our babies?"

"On it" Sean snarled as he moved away, "Billy, go get the others. A want a full assembly. A training exercise, clear?"

"Yes uncle" Billy broke into a trot as Jack raced for Ianto in the Cat.

What else gave of a heat signature like that?

Meteorite?

No.

He knew deep down that Owen was right. The nuclear facility was the direction they had come from and the most logical explanation.

Ianto had held it in his mouth.

Gods, please may he be OK.


	12. clean-up Cave Three

Ianto stood calmly as Owen checked him over and the Geiger counter ticked slowly.

"Yep, a low dosage" Owen confirmed, "I'm sorry but no cuddles with that baby for a couple of days, your metabolism will burn it off. A human might be in a bit off...ah shit. Right. They had these in their pockets, right?"

Owen sighed as he turned and started to pack a bag, "I'll head over to look at them. Ianto, don't come. I know you will be pissed if those kids are contaminated too."

"I will go to Shangri-La" Ianto decided with open sorrow, "It's not too cold if the fire is well banked. A couple of days might do me good, pottering about like an old fart."

"I can come tomorrow and spend the night" Jack promised, "But I will stay here tonight so a certain miss doesn't sneak out looking for you."

"Deal" Ianto smiled as he leaned in for a kiss, then he headed out calling back, "Kiss my babies for me, I will be dreaming of you."

As Ianto headed to purgatory Jack followed Owen the other way, towards those who had caused the tear in his family.

They found them sitting at the table talking, the babies on the floor with toys and they looked up with surprise as they entered.

"I just need to check the wee ones have adjusted to the different air down here" Owen said as he knelt and waved the scanner, then the Geiger clicked rapidly and he sighed.

"Owen?"

"I'm starting to wonder if we should ever invite people in. We get nice ones like Kev and Sam and co then this again" Owen said conversationally as he pulled out a syringe and turned to inject one of the babies "I am giving them something to ease the tummy cramping they must be suffering, I take it you lot have cramps and muscle spasms too?"

"Yes, it's the air?" the woman asked and Owen glanced over at her.

"No" Jack answered "Those radioactive lumps of metal you have in your pockets have poisoned you all. You are all suffering from radiation poisoning and you will most likely die to lead them to us."

They sat staring at him and Sean shook out a jacket that he had pulled from by the bed, sending more fragments scross the room. The babies had gone quiet and Owen crooned as he laid them in the blanket they had been playing on, then began to wrap them.

"What are you doing?" the woman started to rise but Owen was already leaving them where they lay cuddled together, smiling softly.

"Right, your turn. Want to sit or lay? It has a mild sedative and you might want to relax somewhere" Owen smiled again and they nodded and moved to the bed, settling and presenting their arms.

Sean sat and watched sadly as one by one they started to drift off and Owen filled the syringes again, this time the smile gone as he went about his grim task.

"Done" Owen finally said, rising and rubbing his hands on his thighs.

"Thanks Owen" Jack said softly, "Sorry. You know I don't want this...contaminating us."

"Once Torchwood, always Torchwood Jack" Owen looked over at him with open sorrow now "I know the score. I hum it under my breath every fucking day. We have to be ready."

"Sean,,," Jack floundered, Ianto usually the one he would turn to now and Sean nodded as he rose.

"Don't' worry about it, I'm on it" Sean nodded, "Help get them on the Cat and I'll take them topside. Owen, go to Tosh and make sure that the cameras are all set up as well as motion sensors and Jack...you take what's left of the radioactive material along with what Ianto found and place the fake trail away."

They all went about their appointed tasks with heavy hearts but safe in the knowledge that they had done what was necessary. Jack's heart a little lighter knowing this was one time Ianto hadn't had to do it. This reset he would suffer a lonely but vital one as well, their baby daughter waiting for his comfort once he returns.

It would be Sean who would drive them out of the village to the area beyond the woods and carefully lay them in the ground, say some softly spoken words and cover them over.

Ianto did his part by discovering what was to be their killer. Owen had done his job, relieving them of the cruel deaths they would have suffered, and Jack had done his part by giving them the dignity of thinking everything was fine instead of punishing them in their final moments and now he was going to do his job.

For the betterment of his family.

He would return cold, hungry and spent.

.

..

.

Sean sat at the table in his brother's chair, his little nephew on his knee trying to get warm as Frank and Dean had one of their conversation with their knife handles tapping on the table above the talking. His Morse was still crisp and he was shocked when Frank asked Dean where his Tad was and Dean answered that he was sick and went to the wooden house to feel better. Frank asked why he was sick and Dean replied that the bad Outsiders bought sick. But it's OK, they are gone now. Right Uncle?

Sean looked down with shock at the two faces turned up, clearly aware that he was listening to their conversation and he nodded, tapping with his on knife handle that they were gone and would not be back. Outsiders were not welcome right now.

Good.

Several knives banged the table causing the Grups to fall to silence as the children all agreed.

-. - - -..

Good.


	13. Cousin

Ianto didn't know what to do with all the time he suddenly had and with the 3Ms all having birthdays due he knew that a big party would be the go.

_As always, he tried to find the goodness in things and if not in the children, where would he find it?_

He settled with pen and paper to form a party supply list, then knew it needed something special. Four. His little band of beasts will be four. Gods, can you imagine? The youngest of...well. I know Rose is but Jack is still a little hormonal and Ianto is trying very hard not to be too grabby with her, even though it aches that he cannot breastfeed her as he did the other two.

Good thing too.

Ianto stopped pondering as he saw the good side of that as well, his milk would have been contaminated too and the thought of such wastage would have half killed him.

Gods, but he was bored.

The house was spotless and Ianto was about to restack the bookshelves when a sound had him turning and he looked at the Mara who stood in the room with interest. This is a new development to be sure.

Ianto considered and then settled on the floor, "Greetings cousin."

"Greetings cousin" it replied, hopping closer, swinging with one arm on the ground to propel itself up onto his knee, then it canted its head.

"I am unwell, but I will have expelled the poison from my system by the morning" Ianto explained, "I could not being the younglings because they do not have my gift of regeneration."

"Yes they do" the creature huffed, reaching out to play with the buttons on Ianto's shirt, "They are of you. They are wolves too."

Ianto sorted, his suspicions confirmed in that regard and he smiled as he reached out to stroke the creature lovingly, the little croon was payment for the touch as the Mara canted its head to show the ear needed a good rub much as a cat might.

"Thank you cousin, for explaining that. I do love my babies, as I know you do too." Ianto smiled, then he reached the coms sitting on the sideboard. "Cariad? I have a woodland cousin here, he wanted to see the babans. He assures me they have our healing abilities and will not be affected by the low radiation levels."

"Really?" Jacks voice was full of relief and Ianto wondered which one was playing up, "They sure?"

"Yes, he says they are wee Wolfling and OK" Ianto crooned, "Are you OK?"

"Tired, missing you and this bloody bed sucks. I want a proper bed. An orthopaedic one with those mattress cover things." Jack whined, "Next recon I am going to bring back a fucking bed...a huge one like a king would sleep in or...or..."

"Cariad" Ianto laughed softly, "Come to me."

"We will be there as soon as I convince Frank he can't come" Jack sighed and Ianto looked at the Mara.

"Frank, the different one" Ianto asked, "Does he have thicker skin? Would he need to stay away?"

"They are not humans" the Mara said calmly, "They are different. He is in no danger from you."

"Did you hear that love? Frank has a different metabolism" Ianto said happily, "Owen did wonder about that but loves the wee fella too much to treat him like a test subject. Just make sure Bella doesn't see them sneaking out, she does sleep more at home since baby Clarkson started cutting those back teeth."

"Gods, I'm already packing, I miss you" Jack was panting as he frantically moved about and Ianto smiled as his daughter's sleepy voice was heard chastising him. Then a sleepy whine as Frank refused to let him wake Dean and Ianto laughed softly as Jack argued with the wee Weevil.

"Cariad, tell him why ya numpty" Ianto laughed as the complaining became squeals of glee as Frank shook Dean and made him get out to the bug.

Ianto stoked up the fire and waited for the thumping of boots on the landing and he watched them spill into the room, Frank beating the others to Ianto and he saw the Mara, stopping and then bowing politely.

The Mara flew up and transformed into a wee spark as the others entered and shot to the door into the dark and Ianto sat up on the sofa as they snuggled against him all talking at once.

"OK. How about you build a bed down here then?" Ianto suggested, "You can all have the pop up tent and sleep in. Me and Dad are going up and I don't want any shenanigans."

Frank lowered his chin and groaned.

"Well, some food then but not overdoing the midnight snacks ya heathen scum" Ianto sighed and Frank grinned, then ran for the fruit bowl as the other two followed, Hope helping the two boys choose.

Jack carried wee Rose up and laid her in her little crib by the bed and then let Ianto undress him and put him to bed before going back down to fuss on the kids and bank the fire in, making sure the fire guard was firmly in place and the window by the back door was ajar for...visitors...then he went back up to a sleepy mate already pulling at him for a cuddle.

They slept without dreams.


	14. second wave..bye bye

Ianto was still half asleep when the soft pinging woke him and he reached for the coms as he stretched, "Yeah?"

Ianto slid from the bed and rushed to the doorway, the turned back and swore softly, going back to wake Jack.

"Incoming love" he whispered, "They are at the bridge, I have to go see if they follow the bait trail."

"Can't Tosh do that remotely?" Jack sighed.

"And if they don't follow the trail I left?" Ianto countered softly, as he stroked Jack's face, "Cariad, I have to do it."

"I know, ahhh bum" Jack sighed.

Ianto kissed him and rose as Jack pulled his own coms over to listen in and Ianto transformed as he left the house and hit the cold snow running.

He quickly travelled past Holdfast, looking at the dome with satisfaction as he slid down the side of the hill, his tail sweeping after him to cover any tracks that might be seen by binoculars.

There was a contingent of about six, travelling on snow bikes that had Ianto instantly worried because not only were they heavily armed, they were not concerned. They almost looked like a family out for a morning cruise in the snow on their new toys.

He canted his head to listen, "Another one over here. Shit, they lengthened the drop intervals. Does this mean they are going to move further than usual? Knew we should have prepared more markers for them."

"Stop whining, they know what they are doing" another snapped and now Ianto knew for sure that their guests were not fleeing captors, but leading their own people towards them and he sighed as his com crackled. He reached up and tapped it repeatedly in the Morse code he knew Jack was listening for and as Jack wrote it down and the others read there were cries of anger and fear.

Jack convinced them to calm the fuck down and wait for Ianto and he was glad his mate had a calm head even as he knew their baby was currently being clutched tightly in the front pack in Jack's chest.

Ianto followed them as far as the second valley, watching them disappear in to the trees then he looked to his left where a lone Mara sat watching.

"Sour" it said cryptically then it toddled off without leaving marks in the snow.

Of course it didn't.

Ianto sighed and turned away as the screaming in the tree line started heralding the Mara intervention and he wondered if those snowmobiles would be a good addition to their fleet.

He stopped running as he realised how cold that was, how fucking mercenary but this as a brave new world and his pack came first.

Right?

Decision made. He started to run once more and he returned to find the council of elders waiting, along with a surprising amount of younger.

"Billy? What's the go?" he asked as he shakily buttoned up the woolly cardigan his grandmother had wrestled him into over the sweatshirt, "The Youth Council too?"

"We should have a say" Billy said angrily, "I think if we are to lead one day we need to be more aware of happenings now, forewarned is forearmed. Right Dad?"

"He's right" Jack sighed, "Michael has some questions too."

"OK, good" Ianto settled, "The more we do as a family, the less we do as bloody lords and bosses."

"The Others" Michael began and Billy answered softly.

"Already gone, right?"

"Yes. Radiation" Owen said shortly, "A horrible way to die, we eased that. They are buried and cannot harm us. Only Ianto was overly exposed and he had recovered from the poisoning in the night."

Silence.

"You are OK though, right?" Andrew asked, the rarity of his voice making them turn and regard Vic's son.

"Yes love, I am fine" he assured him, "Look. They are well armed, well trained but no match for Mara. I am sure our cousins out there will continue to protect us, we are their little pets in their eyes. Such an ancient race, they see us as their...."

"Ant Farm" Travis snorted. At 21 he was the oldest of the Youth Council and the least likely to argue so his rare display of insight was not to be overlooked.

"Like be" Ianto canted his head, "They were on snow bikes, high end in good nick. I suggest I take a couple of you with me and we go retrieve them, cover the tracks and watch for more."

"Not follow their tracks back?" Sean asked.

"No. It's winter and I don't want to risk anyone." Ianto agreed.

"Sean is right though, what if there are more coming?" Leo argued back, "We need to know where they came from, how many!"

Ianto sighed as he looked to Jack who nodded sadly, then spoke, "So you want Ianto to take...how many days away? At least one night, maybe two to track them back to the source, count heads and then come home?"

They all looked at each other as they frowned at the thought.

"Well, who else can we send in the dead of winter?" someone called out and Ianto huffed with anger.

"This is only the beginning!"


	15. Damn it

"Tad?"

"In here Bills" Ianto called out as he stepped out of his wardrobe cave and he saw a look of consternation in his son's face, "What's wrong?"

"Leo and Travis are off somewhere" Billy said with a sigh, "Did a head count and found them missing, went to ask Uncle Rhys and apparently two of the the snowmobiles are gone. They've gone hunting I think but...they took side arms as well."

Ianto sighed as he looked at his son both of them knowing full well where the two youths has gone and Ianto swore angrily as he reached for the snow pants. He would be damned if he was going to go Wolf Mode as well.

He found Jack waiting with a matching look of doom and a furious Mickey sitting on his snowmobile as well. The three of them moved out on the mobiles searching for the young men, Tosh in their ear telling them where they had last triggered her security.

"There" Mickey called out over the sound of their motors, pointing. The light snow had been covering tracks but now they could faintly make out the outline of fresh ones not yet covered over.

Ianto stood up in the saddle to check and pointed, the faint black spots on the ridge moving slowly were definitely their missing shits and they throttled out, racing after them.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Jack roared as they grew close and their faces told of their extreme horror at being caught.

"I don't know what you think you are doing but I assure you that not a single one of you is in a position to call any fucking shots let alone take one" Ianto snarled as he seized the nearest rifle and yanked it from the startled youth, "Gonna go in all guns blazing were ya? Hit a child? A woman who is a slave there against her will? Maybe get the wrong group all together? Did it even occur to you that there may be more than one lot of survivors out here?"

Nope.

Clearly not given the looks of sickening horror.

"Get your arses home where we will talk about..." Ianto stopped talking as he scented the air, going still.

"Babe?" Jack was alarmed now.

"Home. Now" Ianto seemed startled and he waved his hands, "Full throttle, get there now. As quick as you can."

"Ianto?" Jack was worried now.

"Something smells weird in the air, the snow...shit. Can you hear that?"

"Nothing" Jack replied, "There isn't anything making a sound."

"Exactly. Where are the birds?" Ianto was scanning the sky, "Jack....shit. A storm, there is some sort of storm coming like the electrical one in the city. We have to move, if we get caught out in this we are toast."

"Shit, you sure?"

"I know that smell. Fire and brimstone" Ianto shivered, "Jack I think it's gonna be bad."

"OK, you heard him" Jack barked and they took off, Ianto looking back behind them with worry.

They entered Stronghold via the cave system and Ianto remembered the wolves, racing for their cave and calling them further back. He hoped they would listen and be OK, their wee pups on his mind.

There was little else to do but go face those waiting with pale faces.

"Remember that movie 'The Day After Tomorrow' where there was a mini ice age?" Ianto asked those assembled in the vehicle bay, "Well, it's like that out there. The electrical storm is gonna cause chaos and the temperatures will drop below freezing."

"What will that mean for the Domes?" Jack asked, then took off for Tosh and that question left hanging in the aor.

Ianto followed.

"Tosh, we also have an electrical storm coming, I think we need to minimise the domes to just protect themselves" Ianto said and she turned with a frown, thinking of the outer properties.

"I know what you are thinking" Ianto sighed, "Sorry love. Just the inner villages. The outter sheds and such will just have to weather it. All stock and vital equipment is done here with us, we need to accept there may be losses up top."

"You're thinking of Myfanwy" Jack said softly an Ianto turned with a soft sigh, not wanting to think of her right now. He had something else to think about.

"Right you two!" he snarled, "Family Place NOW!"

They all trudged towards the council they knew were waiting for them and whatever punishment Ianto chose.

For at the end of the day we all know who is in charge.

Whether he likes it or not.


	16. my decision

"Before anyone starts I want the room" Ianto bellowed and everyone fell silent as he stalked to the stage at the far end of the Family Place, his anger thrumming.

He straightened and looked over the table of people, the entire family looking at him expectantly and he let out his breath slowly.

"We have a weather event about to begin above us" he said calmly, "Everyone, I mean EVERYONE is confined to below ground until this is over."

"How bad is it going to get up there?" someone yelled.

"Below freezing" Ianto replied, "Maybe low enough to kill anything up there. I really hope the wildlife are OK but the birds and such have gone somewhere, maybe the Mara will care for them. They seem to have their own rules."

"How long will it last?"

"How long is a piece of string" Ianto shrugged, "All I know for sure is that we can expect it to be some time. I know it's not ideal but we planned for this, we are prepared. We need to buckle down and try to get along. To that end, I propose we open one of the other caverns for the Youth of in-between ages to have their own space, much as the littlies have their den."

Many heads nodded in agreement and the teens all looked excited...bar two.

"Travis and Leo went topside to hunt for Others" Ianto said, watching the people still and turn to all look at them. "I would like to tar and feather them after I cuddle them and thank the gods we found them before they were caught out in the storm but I know I can be extreme. To that end, first of all I propose they are split up for their punishments"

"Here, here!" Ifan nodded, "One can come muck out animal shit at the Below Farm."

"Ok, Leo because Travis likes the animals and might enjoy it" Ianto said as he watched the kids groan.

"Travis can help in the kitchen" Micha called out with glee, "He told me it was woman's work!"

Ianto frowned at the boy, "Is that right? You made that comment?"

Travis squirmed under the weight of his uncle's stare, "Trav?"

"Yes sir, I was teasing her" he sighed, Michael rising from his chair with a look that clearly warned of a good thumping on his horizon.

"Michael, sit down" Ianto sighed, "He will be sorry enough when Nainny finds him the pinkest frilliest apron know to man."

Travis balked as everyone giggled, "For your information, I regularly cook in the kitchen. If you knew anything you would know I am the one who makes those pasta bites you kids all fight over. Why they only come out once a month, it takes me most of the day to cook that meal for you."

"Really?" Rhys asked, "God, that's a lovely recipe. Also, my lasagne has never been scoffed at."

"Nor my smoked fish" Ifan spluttered, "It's a good pie for winter boy!"

"I think Travis can learn how to make that Poppy" Ianto smiled slowly as he saw the boy's look of horror, "That way you can get time with both of them, leading them like."

"Once my walking stick has met their..."

"Poppy!" Jack barked, "Little ears!"

"Oops, sorry little ones" he looked down at the children who were drinking it all in with glee, "Big words not for the table."

"Like tits!" Dean said with a nod of his head, "Not for the table."

"No. That is a bad word to use at the table" Ifan nodded.

"No Poppy, I mean on the table. You shouldn't put them on the table" Dean said calmly as he mimed someone cupping breasts and then splatting them down, "Tits are to be kept in clothes unless a bubba is hungry. Too many tits can put your eye out around here."

The laughter filled the room as Ianto gushed at his little one; so much like his father this one was doomed to have the Harkness Foot in Mouth Syndrome that the bloodline throws to. Kissing the upturned face gently as his fingers stroked his son's hair Ianto whispered lovingly "You drank from mine sweetling, they have purpose too."

Little Rose squealed and Jack gushed as well, Hope simply leaning over to poke at Frank and sign something that had him making his weird chuffing laugh.

"I missed that" Dean said as he turned to look at them, "What did Sissy say?"

Frank signed.

Dean blinked.

"What was it?" Blossom asked, "I can never get it, he does it so fast."

"He said, Hope told him don't be a tit" Dean giggled softly and they all laughed.

"What's the sign for that again?" Jack asked as Ianto reached out to slap him.

"Baby! I have a baby! No violence around the baby!" Jack screeched as he leaned away, placing the little bub between them, "Child abuse. Help."

"Twypsn" Ianto scolded without any anger, his affection flowing through the bond like honeyed mead.

Jack sighed happily, pouting for a kiss.

The anger and fear dispelled.

The Family Place hummed once more.


	17. interlude for confusion

**driftwood on** **Winter's Bite** has appologised and I have accepted it.

 

Moving on....


	18. goodbye for now

"Awwwww, Nainny" Ianto moaned as he was pushed towards the Family Place with force.

"No, I mean it!" she scolded and he stepped inside to find Ebony and Alice waiting for the menfolk to all assemble.

Ianto walked over to Jack who was casually seated with one leg up over his knee and the blanket covering himself and the little one beneath.

"Right" Alice said firmly, "We think we need a address this blatant sexism going on around here, Sean you move and I will fucking shoot you. Sit."

Sean moved to sit by his brother, hoping for strength in numbers.

"There is too much cursing and usage of inappropriate words around here" Ebony decided to start, "The way the kids were talking at the table was not acceptable. Talking about breasts like they were jokes."

"Sorry I'm late" Owen called out as he bustled in, "Frank was being a twat again. Right. What did I miss?"

"Is that wrong too?" Vic asked politely, "Miss? Should he not say, what did I not hear?"

"Stop it" Alice warned, "I will thump you one."

Vic grinned cheekily and Mickey entered, "Shit. Sorry, gods woman get a fucking grip will ya. You try doing a nappy in under two minutes when the little bugger has been squirting."

"Squirting?" Owen was interested, "Heavy, thick, wet?"

Mickey started at Owen.

"I prefer to be called Mickey but I guess Wet is the least offensive one" Mickey deadpanned as they all sniggered.

"Look, I am losing patience here. Sit!" Ebony roared and they did so, Owen's soft woof not lost on those nearby and some more giggling started.

"Right. Equality. We want equality." Juniper said as her sister Brandy nodded her agreement, "We are sick of doing the shit jobs around here."

"Huh?" Mickey said with confusion, "Are you telling me that my wife feels too girlified or whatever you call it? Because right now she is giving shooting lessons to some of the youngsters before tank driving lessons to Billy. If you ask her to bake a pie or dust she will fucking shoot you."

"Girlified" Jack sniggered softly.

"Stop it, I think they are serous" Ianto scolded, "And I agree. The older ones were doing it too. Michael was ready to lamp one of the others. Look. I think the rosters need to be more equal in division of sexes. The women need to learn how to defend themselves better too. What if we are overrun? Self defence classes and gun handling are needed."

"Why just the women?" one of the men called out, "I wanna learn that too. Sick of bloody cows."

"Excuse me?" Juniper bristled.

"He means as in milking them" Ianto sighed as he resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "Look we are all stuck down here for the foreseeable. Let's try to get along for the love of the gods."

That's another thing" Sarah said and they turned to look at her still in her security garb with an AK slung over her shoulder, "Religion. We should not have to sit while others pray over their bloody food."

"I want to sort this first" Juniper argued, "I want the men to be more respectful."

"So, hang on" Robin said as he straightened up for the wall he was leaning on, "Why do you get respect when we don't? Just yesterday one of you told me to go find my balls when I complained about the cold."

"Maybe if we all agree to stop using body parts as everyday speak?" Sarah tried.

"Why. I don't want my child embarrassed about her body, I want my child to know the human body is nothing to be ashamed of!" Patsy shot back.

"And here we go" Ianto said softly as he settled into Jack's side and lifted the blanket to peer at the little one suckling, "aw. Hungry bubba?"

"I want to go on recons!"

"I want to do some butchering, not just packing of the meat!"

"I want to wear pants!"

Ianto blinked and started to cough softly to hide the sniggering as things degraded quickly and everyone made demands on what they wanted, then he saw that Alice was losing her mind up on the stage so he stood, the place immediately falling silent.

"I think you all have valid points and some great ideas." He said calmly, "The suggestion box has been dormant, lets utilise that. Also, the blackboard for recons. Let's use that too. Names for those who want to partake, in the summer months we can make sure there is a fair rotation of people so that we are all proficient in foraging as well as protecting out family. OK?"

There was a murmur of agreement.

"Oh and Nainnyâ€¦of course you can wear pants." Ianto said softly and some laughed softly at her as she smoothed her dress, "I think you would also be kickarse in the firing range cave helping teach reloading and such, you are faster than me at the draw too."

"Alice. If you do not like being the teacher, don't. I will or will find someone else" Ianto said to her and her face fell as she hastened to tell him that she loved teaching.

"Well, I don't understand" Ianto looked aournd the room, "You have all chosen where you are, are all able to change, move and assimilate to where you want to be. This started as a talk about the children's vocabulary and had degenerated into a bitching fest, excuse me is that is sexist, a whinging fest where you all want to tell me tht you are unhappy with your lot."

They were all silent as he looked around.

"We must curb our language more, I still want sexual education in the school and maybe this would help with the misuse of body parts, god that sounded good didn't it, also." Ianto turned to gesture at Jack, "Did any of you register that fact that my husband is breastfeeding while you all go off on your little tangents. We have birthed and breastfed our children. Does that make us feminine? No. A woman can wear pants, shoot, cuss and hunt. Protect and serve. So can a man. I am sick of all the bickering. More menfolk to help with the food, I said this earlier in the season did I not, also I want to see more women stepping forward to patrol."

Nodding.

"You are all entitled to an opinion and all able to swap around jobs as you like" Ianto sighed, suddenly saddened by this entire thing, "You know what? I am tired. Why do I have to be the protector. Why do I have to be a leader. Why do I have to scold you all like fucking children. I am going to bed, Jack are you coming?"

"Yes love" Jack said as he let the blanket drop to show their baby was now asleep with his nipple still being sucked half heartedly, "I want a cuddle."

"I am not doing anything for the nextâ€¦threeâ€¦no. Four days. Five?" Ianto said to the room and more than one gasp was heard, "I am going to cuddle my loves and eat and drink and not care. So there. When I come back either you will have all killed one another and I have a huge clean-up or you will have learnt how to co-exist. I don't think I care anymore. Eight years, eight years I have done all I can for you and now you choose to complain? You know what? Don't drink the fucking coolade! Get off the bus. Go find another Verse."

"Hey, hey" Jack pulled Ianto closer as he tried to soothe but Ianto was clearly annoyed now.

"I do what I can for you." He said sadly, his shoulders slumping as he finally let Jack drag him towards the door, "I am not perfect and clearly I have failed somewhere."

"Come on love" Jack soothed and as they let Ifan huffed softly.

"Well then. Who is going to volunteer to check the wolf pack and take them that half a sheep put aside for them then?" Ifan demanded and the silence reigned.

Of course it did.

Like it or leave it.

This is the story being written.

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Gonna take a break for a while. Thank for reading if you liked it. If you didn't like it, why did you read it in the first place? Sorry if my mental illness has caused anyone else any harm, I did not post previous comments for a pat on the back, but to show that I do get bad press. LOL Imagine what I don't show you. Be safe, well and happy all. When I feel up to it I will post again. Hopefully those who have decided I am too imature or pathetic can simply unfavotate my stories and forget me. Until then...loved all of the fun.


	19. cold cuddles

Ianto had not been kidding as he dug into the bedding and found himself a little boy down near the bottom cuddled up with his friends.

"Deano? Bella? Frank?" Ianto said with glee as Dean moved to let his Taddy have some foot room, "Why are the 3Ms in my bed?"

"Cold"

"Tywered"

GROWL

Ianto snorted and settled, his cold feet being cuddled by the annoyed weevil. It had been so cold getting his laptop from the desk and he wondered why, surely the underground heating ducts were....ah stop it.

Ianto stopped trying to think about the possibility that someone had turned off the wrong heating pipes for the nightly shut down instead of turning it all up for the new day and they were all freezing instead of the heating being pooled in the flooring.

Of course someone had done the wrong procedure. The temp was dropping more by the minute.

Ianto sighed as he felt Jack exit the bed, muttering to himself as he jammed his feet into this boots and pulled his coat on.

One day in, they were only one day in and someone had already fucked up.

Jack came back muttering and he threw himself in the bed with a grunt.

"Nightly shut down?" Ianto asked and Jack snorted.

"Like a sheet with NIGHT on the top can be mixed up with a sheet that has DAY on it can be fucked up, yeah. Fay was on duty so it really isn't her fault. You know she can't bloody read." Jack grumbled, "Is it so hard to people to fucking do things without you supervising? They are getting more dependent on you, things should be running smooth with or without you here. How will we be go on recons for several days if they are getting this bloody thick?"

"I know" Ianto kissed him gently, "Come on. Tell me a story."

Jack smiled.

"Did I tell you about the time I was in a submarine?" Jack whispered, "Rose and I had to battle some undeads to shut it down?"

"Really?" Ianto asked with glee, "Which Doctor?"

"Nine. I was still mortal then so it was a bit freaky" Jack smiled and as he talked about the Russian submarine the children moved in the bed to listen, Frank's little hand stroking Ianto's foot like it was a pet.

Nainny came in with a couple of youths and they set the table, Ianto making a happy noise as he slid from the bed, followed by the 3Ms like ducklings. They settled to eat lunch and Ianto hummed happily as his Nainny kissed his cheek.

"Everything going OK out there?" Jack asked and her eyed flicked to Ianto before she answered.

"They are muddling along" she finally said calmly, "Nothing fell down or jumped up."

Ianto snorted as he reached for a scone, "Oh, lovely Nainny."

"AJ and Robin made those, took the morning off from the Gardens" she smiled, "Apparently that husband of mine is enjoying the shuffling of people."

"It will be good for them" Ianto said around a mouthful of blackberry jam and scone, "We need them to learn to multi-task. In a pinch we should all be able to help one another at any task. Well, within means."

"Well, you are certainly looking rested" she patted his shoulder, then motioned for the baby which Jack handed over as he accepted a piece of heavily buttered scone from his mate.

"Well, I might take a swim after this" Ianto smiled softly, "The water is lovely and warm now."

"Yes" Nainny frowned, "I think Fay might like trying the goats or something. She is no good at sequences."

"But such a fine cook" Ianto shrugged, "Memory I guess."

"Yes love" she leaned down and kissed him again, then kissed Jack and turned to leave.

"Nainny?"

"Yes love?"

"Are you stealing my baby?"

"For a while" she smiled sweetly, "I just noticed she is filling her nappy. This equality thing, maybe Billy should take some responsibility for his baby sister. Get in training like."

Ianto snorted as he imagined his son's expression on finding what was likely in the nappy.

He leaned back and yawned.

Might take that swim.

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Billy seemed to fare quite well, cooing as he peeled back the mess but Michael made a noise of disgust.

"Really?" Billy laughed without turning round, "With your siblings? Surely you have changed a nap before."

"God no!" he laughed.

"But you will have to learn" Billy said with a sly grin, "I know Micha will expect her mate to do his fair share of the parenting like Tad and Dad. They have really set the benchmark."

"Oh god" Michael wailed as he slid over to look once more and then shuddered and Billy swiped her wee bottom while holding her up by her ankles.

"See? We were this little once" Billy said gently as he kissed a little foot, watching the toes curl.

"One day we will hold our own" Michael said with growing wonder as he watched her wee grin spreading, her hand waving up at him. "I can't wait to be a Da. I will never hit my kid or my wife. I will never ask her to do anything I don't do myself. I will cherish every gift given to me."

"Only way to live Mike" Billy smiled at his friend, "See as many gifts in things as you can."

Michael nodded as he found the gift of his friend's company filing his heart.

And the wee Rose.

Filling him with hope for their future.


	20. the bite is worse than the bark

Jack was humming in his sleep and Ianto wondered what the time was, that bloody dripping faucet in the bathroom still annoying him beyond belief. Today he was going to see to it. Right after he checked on Lisa. Ianto could hear the klaxon in the distance and for a moment or two he was back in the bunker under Jack's office in the Hub feeling about for his pants frantically before Tosh caught him and Jack at it, then he hesitated and realised he had bee dreaming.

"Jack?"

Jack was also sliding from the bed as the security lights lit the cave outside their bedroom door "What the fuck."

"It sounds like the lower level" Ianto was pulling his boots on as Hope slid into the bed with the 3Ms and settled back to sleep like nothing had happened, Ifan following with a teddy bear dangling from his hand.

They ran along the corridor and a cart zoomed past, both men hugging the walls and then grabbing for the cart to stand in the running boards, all pretence of time off gone as a threat had the alarm sounding.

As they neared the commotion it was Vic who stood with Mickey, turning with a look of relief as he saw Ianto and Jack with the coming security detail.

"I think it's a cave in" Mickey called out as Jack and Ianto leapt for the cart and raced towards them, "I can hear rocks falling."

"Shit" Jack huffed as Ianto stepped towards the darkness and sniffed the air.

"We are trying to get the power reconnected; it must have gone out whenâ€¦" Art was saying to Vic when Ianto interrupted.

"Who is down there?"

"What?" They all turned to look at him, Mickey frowning, "Mate, nobody is down there."

"Yes" Ianto said softly, "Someone is. I smell blood. Fuel. Someone is down there."

"Head count" Vic demanded, touching his coms and talking to Tosh who was already doing one, her own spidey senses zinging.

Ianto didn't wait, surging forward into the dark and Jack followed with a torch he snatched from Mickey.

"Stay back" he called back to those watching them go, "Just in case it's still hazardous."

They moved down and as they got further into the dark Ianto stated to feel the cold more and he cursed, "Cave in. Jesus, I think it goes right to the surface."

"That means we will have to block this off so we don't freeze. Anything important down here?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. The Cave for Micha and Michael is this end of...no. no. oh Gods, please" Ianto was running, panting as he surged away from Jack and when Jack caught up he wished he hadn't.

The cart was partially buried in the rock fall but the body lying nearby was what took Ianto's attention.

"Micha?" he sobbed softly as he knelt by her, his hands shaking as he stroked her still face. A groan had Jack turning back to the cart and he realised with sickening clarity that Michel was in the crumpled mess, still trapped.

"Ianto" Jack yelled, "Help me love."

Ianto checked in his niece one more time, comforting himself with the appearance of just a knock to the head as she was thrown free and he turned to tear at the cart with open malice.

Vic was yelling as he pounded towards them, the head count obviously done and he came to a halt with shock as Ianto tore at the metal with huge claws instead of hands.

"Michael" Vic sobbed, "Oh god. I can't lose another kid. I can't."

"He's alive" Ianto called back as he managed to get hold of the boy's wrist, "He's alive."

Light flooded the tunnel as a large cat roared to them, Mickey pale behind the controls and they worked to extract the boy. Owen crawled through the wreckage and supervised the removal of the boy who was now groaning as he started to come around and Ianto glanced over at Micha who was still laying there without moving.

"Owen, Mimi isn't waking up" Ianto said and Owen glanced over at her and nodded.

"Once I have him settled on the back of the Cat I will check her, you did right?"

"Breathing regular, deep and steady. Her heartbeat is strong, I can hear it from here" Ianto agreed, "But she isn't waking up."

Michael was now being strapped on the Cat and Owen moved to Micha, running his hands over her as Ianto did and he frowned as he reached for his PDA, scanning carefully and Ianto felt the tendrils of fear creeping around his heart as Owens face remained impassive.

"Owen?"

"We have to move her carefully" Owen barked "I want a neck brace and the collapsible tray"

Ianto watched as the special stretcher was fetched, one that broke into pieces so it could be rebuilt carefully around the patient and as he watched Owen's careful hands he realised what was wrong.

"Ianto?" Jack said as his husband stumbled to him and clung to him, burring his face in his neck "Baby, what's wrong?"

"Spinal damage" Ianto sobbed softly, "Owen is treating her like she has some form of spinal injury. I think she broke her neck or her back."

"Shit" Jack held him tightly, unable to help.

The cold crept up the tunnel towards the village like an evil beast.


	21. bites

Ianto sat stoically waiting with Jack and the grandparents as Owen ran between beds and did what he could while showing his exceptional skills.

Finally Michael started to rouse from unconsciousness, the setting of his broken wrist had been too much and he had blacked out, now he was awake and crying out for Micha.

"Easy boy" his father soothed, "It's OK."

"Where is she, Owen? Where is she?" Michael was thrashing in the bed and Owen pulled the curtain back so he could see her, his face softening as he saw that she was asleep.

"Right" Owen said calmly, "You have broken ribs, your wrist and a concussion."

"Mimi?"

Owen glanced over at Ianto who was pale and still, Jack moving back through the room to go check the kids.

"Micha was thrown clear when the rock fall happened, you must have been going full tilt" Owen said, then sighed, "Michael, none of this is your fault. It doesn't matter how fast or slow you were going, the rock fall would have happened either way."

Michael stared at Owen for a few blinks, then his eyes narrowed, "How is she!"

"Mate, she's not good" Owen sighed, "She's stable. She is breathing well and is going to live but...shit. Her back was damaged, a spinal injury and we will not know how bad it is until she is aware enough for us to test her."

"Oh god, what does that mean?" Michel whimpered as his eyes flickered between Micha and Owen.

"She might be paralysed mate" Owen said softly.

Michael lay staring up at him. Then his face crumpled as he started to cry. Vic comforted his son as best he could while Fay left the room, her sobbing from the corridor heard.

"The important thing now is that we have time" Ianto said, finally joining the conversation, "Time for her to rest, heal and helpfully recover. We will get through this. Whatever happened, whatever the outcome she is alive. Will live. Let's hold on to that for now."

Michael nodded as he snuffled and he looked at Owen again, "Can I hold her hand? I want her to know I'm here with her. Please?"

They moved the two beds together, the young lovers in repose with hands entwined and Owen followed Ianto to the corridor when Ianto folded against Jack and finally wept silently, not wanting his own grief to be heard.

"It's OK" Jack sighed.

"I want to go home" Ianto sobbed, "I want to wake up and go home now."

"I know love" Jack sighed again as he held Ianto tightly, the shuddering man's grief enveloping them both as Jack felt the pain of letting him down somehow by not being able to fix this.

"I've done all I can" Owen said quietly, "I've used the entire ansenal of tech we have. Her spine was severed, back in the day that would be it. The sonic scalpel, the Hermonial modulator ...everything I could think of has been used whether it helped or not. Couldn't hurt. I have been checking and the scans show the spine is repaired, as to how much she has regained...it's a crap shoot. It may have taken too long, there might have been muscle damage or anything due to the swelling during the loss of power to her lower limbs. I can't promise anything."

"Owen" Ianto sniffled as he reached for him, "I know you did everything, I would expect nothing less and I trust you above anyone else to do the right thing here. I love you and I trust in you and your skills, OK?"

"I just feel so bloody redundant" Owen huffed angrily, "What a bloody mess."

"Mother nature" Jack said as Ifan came over, "All the things we have faced, battled and triumphed over. This is just Mother Nature reminding us that she is still the queen."

"We've checked and triple checked" Ifan nodded sadly, "Definitely nothing set it off. It was a natural event. Just shitty timing."

"I hate not knowing what to do" Ianto frowned, then he turned to Jack, "What about the Mara. I could ask them?"

"No you can't" Jack said with more sorrow to heap on, "They left because of the storm raging overhead love. Remember?"

Ianto slumped as he recalled their disappearance and he cursed under his breath, his hand running through his hair to rest at the back of his neck as it always did when he was upset.

"Look, we left the kids." Jack finally said, "Let's go home. We have to tell Hope, like it or not. We have to rest, eat and be strong for Micha now. She will look to you for guidance here, you know she will."

"Yeah, yeah" Ianto nodded as he looked around as if he had lost something and Jack pulled him close to centre him.

Ianto closed his eyes and breathed him in, scenting his mate and letting him wash over him like a waterfall. Calming, cleansing, refreshing.

Finally he straightened and they walked away to leave the young loves to their healing rest.

She was alive.

The rest they could deal with in time.

But gods, this winter has teeth.


	22. sorrow

Jack held Ianto as he wept silently, not wanting to wake the children who were blissfully unaware of the woe. It was a rarity for Hope to not wake, showing how tired she must have been and it was some comfort to Ianto that he had time to get himself sorted before thinking about his babies.

Jack felt helpless.

All he could do was hold Ianto and he hoped it was enough.

"Right" Ianto sat back, scrubbing at his face, "We don't have a wheelchair for her or anything that resembles handicapped accessibility. Shit."

"We talk to Ebony" Jack soothed, "Her and Rhys can bang together a cart or something she can move around in, yeah?"

Ianto nodded morosely.

"Owen had already said one of the medicinal beds from the hospital wing can go to her and he can fix a pulley system above it so she can be lifted in and out of the bed, we can place railings and a ramp for the hot pools for her to bathe." Jack was thinking out loud, "Your grandparents will want to care for her but brute strength is needed. We can take her, we can.."

"No you won't" Kev said from the doorway with Tish following to stand next to him, "You have babies who don't need to see the wallowing and self-hate she is going to feel. She will have dark days. She needs someone with brute strength, strong will and a gentle hand. Tish and I will take her on. I also know that means taking Michael too, he is not about to leave her and should not have to."

"Kev, I can't..."

"Shut it!" he snapped, "She is a poor wee mite that needs some attention now. This gorgeous queen and I can provide. Let us provide. Bugger all for me to do down here, I was getting bored with shovelling shit and checking cave entrances when not even on security detail just to fill my day. No. I nursed my grandmother through her final cancer years as a teenager, I know the hard corners and sharp edges ahead. Let us do this."

Jack could see that Ianto was still shocked so he answered for them both, "Thank you Kev. Let us know if you need anything and we will respect your offer to provide."

"Good" he nodded, "Good. Blessings."

Ianto looked up as Kev bowed slightly at the waist, then turned to leave.

"I love her like a wee sister" Tish said softly, "I will take care of her. Both of them."

Ianto looked at the empty doorway for a while, then sighed "Rhia would be so pissed."

"She would be just as upset as you are" Jack crooned, "She would be angry, sad and more than slightly panicked."

"Yeah" Ianto laughed though his sorrow, "She would want to rail at the rocks. Bash at them with a hammer. Gods. She is the last part of her I have."

"I know love" Jack sighed, "It was not your fault. None of it. Johnny bit David, Rhia died to get Micha to safety. You did all you could. Look at her, she is still here and Owen said she may recover. What is it you keep saying? Hmmm? Positivity is a strong medicine?"

Ianto nodded mutely as he let Jack rock him on the edge of the bed and after a while a little hand patted Ianto's arm.

"Tad?" Hope whispered, "What's happened to Micha?"

Ianto sighed, turning to explain as his daughter looked at him with huge tear welling eyes.

"We will help her feel better" Jack assured her, "We will all do our part to help her."

"Of course!" Hope said firmly "That's what family does."

"Yes darling" Jack smiled lovingly at his wee changeling.

"That's what we do."


	23. Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](https://postimg.org/image/7vza6axdb/)   
> 

The golf cart had been modified to allow Micha some mobility, the thought that had gone into it touched Ianto as he watched those involved gush happily, showing the teens how it worked.

Micha was still shocked to have woken and found her predicament waiting, her main comfort the fact that Michael was OK. His repeated promises not to leave her that he loved her and fully expected to walk down the aisle with her comforting her as well.

Ianto had composed himself and was now calmly telling her that everything was going to be OK, no matter how much or little she regained she would be looked after and he was so happy she was still there.

His hands softly strong as he kissed her, telling her she reminded him of her dear mother filled her heart with warmth and she let go of her fear. It would be OK.

The children reacted in many different ways with some insisting on 'helping' and some wanting to just see for themselves. A couple of them got too upset to be comforted for a day or two before coming to terms with it but little Frank went and got his favourite toy and took it to her with a sad moan, his clawed hand gently patting her leg as she accepted the rubrics cube.

"Thank you Frank" she said softly, "You love your colour box."

'Love u more' he tapped forlornly, 'we fix colours. We fix u! Sunshine Mimi will shine."

"Oh Frankie" she sighed tears threatening ad she cuddled him in the bed, whispering that he made her feel so much better already and the weevil settled to lay with her and stroke her arm lovingly for the rest of the afternoon, refusing to leave her even to eat.

Hope was the one who collected him in the end, telling him that Dean was sad so he would leave Micha and Micha watched her little cousin lead the weevil away calmly, taking a moment to close her eyes.

She woke to her lovely uncle sliding onto the bed to cuddle and she laid her head against his chest and wept softly for a while as he did the best thing he could. He didn't say a word. No fake promises, no call to strength or comforts. Ianto simply lay there and held her, rubbing her back and shoulders as she cried for what she felt sure she would get once more. That Jones determination was still there and if anyone could get over this hurdle it would be her, Ianto was sure of it.

"Tomorrow we will get you in that thing but you have to promise not to run anyone over and baby there is one more thing" Ianto said as he stroked her cheek and she looked up into his face as she sniffed softly.

"Yes uncle?"

"Do not let you Uncle Owen have a ride, it took ages to make and he will slam straight into a bloody wall or something." Ianto frowned.

She started to giggle, feeling it bubbling up at the image of Owen smashing like a bug against a windscreen and Ianto relaxed as he felt reassured in her humorous snort. If she could still see hope, still see beauty and had enough spirit to see humour he had not lost her.

Right?

Ianto know this was going to be a harsh winter but he had never foreseen this. Now the drama was fading his anger flared, flagellating himself for getting complacent again. Just because they are entombed in this underground sanctuary, it doesn't mean they are safe. He should have been more aware of things.

Jack arrived late in the day to find Micha asleep and Ianto glaring at the ceiling. Jack sighed as he knew full well the self-anger stage had begun, gently coaxing Ianto from the bed as he whispered that their baby wound not go down for her afternoon nap and Ianto walked to their room where the wee squirt was inspecting her toes like they were diamonds.

"So. You think you are too big for naps do you?" Ianto scolded as he picked her up and she laughed lustily at him, her little fingers gripping at his shirt and he walked around the water pool singing softly as she started to breathe him in, his scent as alluring as her Daddy's and soon little snores were heard as Ianto silently rocked from foot to foot, his beloved imp asleep on his shoulder.

Jack readied the wee bed and Ianto gently rolled her from his shoulder to the bed in one fluid movement that only someone with more than one baby has learned.

"She will be OK" Ianto said softly as he patted his sleeping baby's belly.

"Yes she will" Jack answered knowing they were not talking about Rose but Micha.

"We need..."

"Bon and Ifan are going over every long tunnel and Tosh is going to send the spider mice out again to check that entire level, OK?" Jack knew what was coming, "Owen had begged to stay in here with you during the exercise and I said maybe the kids might like some comforting."

"What did he say?"

"I will if he will"

Ianto laughed softly as he nodded, the need to comfort his friend now soothing as well.

Still things to do.

Here in the heart of the world.


	24. feelings

Ianto felt redundant.

To be fair he did every winter but this one was being particularly harsh.

Kev proved as loyal as Michael and his niece was showing signs of recovery as they all fussed on her, Ianto finding her already asleep with a bedmate most afternoons. Dean had Frank and Bella, the 3Ms off on their adventures with a pig or a dog along for the fun or another child or five. Like a pack of wild animals they roamed the tunnels looking for someone to maul with questions about the colour of leaves and why rain tasted so good. Hope had wanted to take up a more formal role as a leader, her days spent reading to the giraffe as she felt he had been forgotten in all the dramas, the menagerie of children and animals sitting at her feet as she imperiously held the book up an made up stories out of her overly excitable imagination had also pulled some adults into its nexus.

And wee Rose?

Jack had her attached to his chest like a bloody tic, suckling as he strode about in his element as the winter village took his lead and did what the name of this place suggests. Just as Ianto Held Fast to the upper village, down here Jack had the Strong Hold.

Billy was a young man, no doubt about it as he led his own security detail, his pride evident in his Taddy's style showing through the uniform and crisp neat lines.

Ianto retreated, as he always had once, to the only place he felt he was useful. The Archives. Funny, he hadn't thought of the library as that but now he stood in the huge cavernous room that was floor to ceiling stacks and realised he had recreated the archives, down to the secure area the children could not get to for the locked door. Ianto sat and pondered.

Was he being a baby?

A baby.

Ianto sighed as his hands went to his empty womb, the desire still there despite the lack of seed. It had been Jack's turn. A wonderful gift and she was perfect.

So why did he feel so....

Ianto sighed as he rose and continued to unpack a box of files, trying to find that calm happy place he had always found in the Hub Archives. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and let it out while saying the alphabet in his head, then turning to lace the file in the correct drawer. He did not have to say the alphabet, his hand filing with pinpoint accuracy even if he wasn't looking but it was calming to do so and he did need something to do with his mind.

"There you are"

Ianto turned to find Ifan settling in an old arm chair, placing his walking stick to one side and looking up at the shelf Ianto was currently filling, "What's all this then?"

"Alien races from M to P" Ianto replied as he went back to filing, frowning at an errant fie on Kaptucas. Miss filed by...Ianto checked the last entry and sighed. Gwen.

Gods, after all this time she could still piss him off from the great beyond.

"Dinner in a few minutes, gonna walk an old man to the Family Place?" Ifan asked and Ianto grunted as he continued to file. "Ianto?"

Ianto turned to face him, "I would rather finish this box first. You go, I shall follow."

"Will you?" Ifan snorted with mirth, "Last three times you were bloody lying when you said that."

Ianto shrugged and went back to filing as Ifan frowned.

"You tired boy?"

"Yes. Hope is sleeping with us again, which is a right royal pain. Rose is sniffling and Dean is happy to sleep anywhere if Frank is there so the bed is full and..." Ianto stopped as he realised he was about to complain about his children and he sighed as he berated himself, "They are wonderful. All lovely."

Ifan pursed his lips.

"What!"

"Well. They may be perfect but you aint' feeling that, are you" Ifan pointed out, "You are down in the dumps. It's like ever since he gave birth you have been moping about. Do you really begrudge him having one? Seriously?"

Ianto turned to look at his grandfather with open shock, "I do not resent him. Rose is perfect and he did a bang up job!"

"Is it Micha?" he tried another tack, "You still beating yourself over her? Or is it that she doesn't need you, she needs someone else that is getting stuck in your craw?"

Ianto swung to glare at him, "Don't you dare! Kev and Tish are saints and she loves them. They are faultless in their care!"

"Then bloody what!" Ifan roared.

Ianto's face crumbled as he saw even his grandfather sick of him and he slumped onto a crate.

"I have nothing to do" he sobbed, "Nobody needs me for anything."

Ifan sighed softly, "Boy, Jack is keeping them away so you can rest. He's worried about you and wants you to relax. God, typical that it's making you worse."

Ianto shrugged back.

He couldn't change the way he felt.

He felt alone.


	25. babies and brains

Hope was watching her Taddy as he moved around his archives.

"Taddy?"

Ianto turned to look at her with surprise, "Hope? What are you doing here. It's Daddy Daughter Day isn't it?"

"Yeah" she sighed, "Dad has Rose."

"What?" Ianto blinked with confusion, "But you and he always spend the day together doing the activities and things."

"Yes, but he has Rose" she said again slowly, her bottom lip wobbling as Ianto realised she had been jilted.

"Oh darling. We are both a bit redundant lately aren't we" Ianto sighed and then he smiled softly, "Does this mean I get you instead?"

Hope looked up at him with surprise as he gleefully clasped his hands together, the realisation that he was happy to have her a lovely idea, "Really?"

"Daddy. Taddy. Same difference right?" Ianto tasked, "You can be my baby for the day."

She lit up as he offered his hand and they walked down the tunnels to one of the supply rooms where Ianto ratted through a box of things muttering to himself, "HAH!"

"What is it?" Hope asked with confusion.

"These are parachute harnesses, see Bonny has cut up the parachute for other things but the harnesses are still good. This is a tandem one, for two people. I can turn this one so you face me and you can be my bubba in a front pack." Ianto explained as she gaped at him, "Now, where is that teddy bear Onesie that fits you? Come on, a bubba needs the right clothes"

Hope blinked, then started to giggle as she saw the game and ran to get the outfit, retuning to find Ianto had worked out the straps and already had his harness on. "Come on darling, this is a child's one that will clip onto this one, come on. Lets get my bubby wubby sweetie bum hooked on."

Hope eagerly clambered into the harness and her dam effortlessly lifted her up to clip on, his extreme strength made her no more than a slight weight to him as he adjusted it until satisfied and she hummed happily as her legs went around his waist to hook her ankles together in his lower back. Her head lay on his chest and his arms held her tightly, but were able to let go without dropping her this way.

It was a huge baby front pack and she was so excited.

"Come on Bubba, Taddy is gonna take you walkies" he said is a silly voice and she giggled gleefully as he strode down the tunnel with pride. As they walked Ifan came along from the Under Farm.

"Hey! Poppy! Look. My baby is having walkies" Ianto called out and Ifan looked at his grandson, seeing the child and he laughed softly as they came along side, Hope grinning happily.

"Well now, what a buxom baby you have there, boy" he laughed softly, "My, she has a lovely head of hair."

"Yes, and she can brush it all by herself Poppy" Ianto said proudly, "She is soooo clever."

She giggled and cuddled against her loving Taddy more.

They entered the Family Place where the Daddy Daughter day was underway as the men tried to do girly things with their daughters and look pleased about it, all the feathers, pink organza and finger sandwiches everywhere screamed a girly day.

Jack sat proudly rubbing the back of his baby as he talked to Owen and as Ianto entered Jack looked over with surprise, "Babe?"

"There you are" Ianto said with a soft frown "Seems you forgot to come get your daughter and she seems to think you didn't want her."

Jack blinked, then his face dropped as he looked down at his sweet daughter's face, her eyes closed as she listened to her Taddy's heart beating.

"I..." Jack faltered, "Shit. Hope, honey, I am so sorry. I am a baby brained silly Daddy. Of course I wanted you with me, my first and most cleverest child."

"It's OK" she said sadly, "I know I'm not your Rosebud anymore, not now you have a real Rose. Taddy still wants me."

Jack looked at Ianto and Ianto saw Jack's genuine horror at his misstep with their daughter and although he was angry as well, he knew it was his job to support him as well as her.

"Of course I want you, the first gift Daddy ever gave me was you" Ianto crooned, "Come on. Let's all sit and eat then we can all go have cuddles and an afternoon nap. Daddy and I can swap bubbas then and that way we all spend the afternoon together. Yeah?"

Hope lit up at the suggestion and Jack looked gratefully at his mate, relieved that he had soothed her for him.

"I am sorry" Jack said softly as he settled next to Ianto to eat little sandwiches with the crusts cut off, Hope humming against Ianto's chest as she wriggled in his lap.

"I know Cariad" he whispered, "But you need to remember you have other children, not just Rose."

Jack nodded forlornly as he looked down at his sweetling.

"Anyway, I don't know what I shall do come nappy change time" Ianto said loudly in a high pitched voice, "I fear she shall have done plops the size of a horse's."

Hope giggled as she slapped at him growling that she was not wearing a nappy.

"No nappy?" Ianto squealed with horror, "No nappy? Oh for the love of gods, don't you pee on me!"

Hope screamed with glee and more than one child asked why they didn't have a front pack as fathers groaned.

Jack hoped he was forgiven for his idiotic move.

How could he have overlooked his little girl?


	26. truth and dare

"But I have baby brain" Jack said again as Ianto moved quietly through their room.

"Hush, they are finally asleep and I will not have you waking them to one of our arguments!" Ianto hissed in that low dangerous voice that warned Jack he was on thin ice.

"But..."

"Jack." Ianto swung to face him once they were out in their main cavern and the children sleeping in their bed could not hear them, "You are not able to use that excuse around me. Do you forget that when I used it that time I left Dean asleep in the bloody washing basket and wandered off you tore strips off me?"

"That was different" Jack spluttered.

"How!"

"He might have got hurt or something" Jack said indignantly, his frown deep as he tried to work out how to salvage something from this.

"Really" Ianto snorted, "And Hope wasn't?"

"Dirty pool" Jack huffed, then sighed as he knew damned well Ianto was right, he had messed this one up.

"Jack, you have to remember them" Ianto pleaded, "I know it is hard to remember she is so small when she acts to grown up and self sufficient but sometimes she just wants to be a little girl. Our little girl. Gods, some days all I want to be is your lover. Your mate."

Ianto snorted as he looked away and Jack looked up from the clothes he was folding as he heard the bitterness in the noise, "Once I was special and shiny too. I know how it feels to be cast aside for another shiny thing."

"I did not cast you aside" Jack said with confusion.

"Since Rose came along she is all you talk about, all you focus on." Ianto sat and placed his hands on the table, too tired to argue now, "Our trysts are few and far between. Is it because you do not want another? Now you have one you made yourself? Is Hope right? You have traded up? I miss you too."

"Hey" Jack said softly as he reached for Ianto's hand, gripping it firmly, "I want many more stink pots with you, many more. Gods, one a year, two if we are both able. I want a whole village of our offspring all strong, powerful and as bloody minded as we are. Gods. I want a footy team."

Ianto smiled softly as he saw the honesty in the words, nodding as he tried to understand.

"Does it really seem like I favour Rose?" Jack asked.

"Even Dean has noticed and you know he is usually happy with Bella and Frank. He watches for you and won't eat until you are at the table. Do you even notice his insecurities?" Ianto whispered as he pulled his hands from Jack's and plucked at the table cloth, "He fears you have left him behind too. You are never without her. She is so yours it is like she is a limb. I have not spent more than an hour with her on my own at a time. Did you realise that?"

Jack stared at Ianto.

"She is mine too" Ianto huffed, "Did I keep my pups from you? Ever? Did I claim them as mine and snarl at you, snap at you and refuse you a turn? Why must I fight for each little hold?"

"You don't" Jack said, trying to remember the last time he had handed the baby over and finding himself struggling.

"Look, I am happy that you are so happy, honest I am. I of all know the glory of life" Ianto rose and pushed the chair in, "But I will not play favourites. You should not either. It is obvious to both children that they are no longer the apple of your eye. You need to adjust your thinking and act like their father."

"I will, I do" Jack said as he rose to follow, his hurt now thrumming as he felt more than slightly attacked. Ianto caught the feeling from him and stifled the urge to snarl, Jack's child-like ability to see things as some sort of failure chaffing.

Jack watched Ianto slip into the bed and then slipped in as well, careful to pull Hope into his arms so when she woke it would be to his love.

He looked over as Ianto checked the baby in the wee papoose, his face softening as it does when he looks on one of their children and he tried again to remember when Ianto last had the baby for the day.

Gods.

Never. Jack found himself with the clarity of knowledge. He has never handed his baby to Ianto and simply let him be. He stayed, he hovered, he took her back if she snuffled leaving Ianto sitting there with empty arms.

One of the worst feelings is self-disappointment.


	27. complacency?

Jack was spending the morning with the 3Ms as part of his penance for being a twat.

Ianto found himself with a baby and he was so excited as he waited for her to wake up, her little snuffling making him hover over her papoose but still she slept.

He realised he was afraid she would sleep the afternoon away and Jack would come back to take her without him getting a smile from her.

Gods, when did he become so desperate?

Finally she made a little coo and he scooped her up, his heart bursting with excitement as he kissed her face and crooned. She looked at him silently and then blinked as her eyes searched the room with a frown of confusion.

Ianto's heart sank as he realised she was searching for Jack and he sighed as he rose to take her to him, resigned to the fact she had not formed a bond with him. He walked through the tunnels and she looked around with interest, becoming more exited as they neared the Family Place, Jack's booming laughter able to be heard and Ianto entered, watching the baby yell and wave excitedly to her Dam, wanting him. Ianto handed her over silently as Jack gushed and crooned, kissing as he asked her if she was hungry. Ianto turned to leave and Jack looked over at him. "Where are you going? It's your day with her remember?"

"She doesn't want me" Ianto said softly, "She wants you. It's OK. It's just too late. She has not bonded to me, she is confused. I am being unfair to her by making this an issue."

"What do we do?" Jack asked with genuine sorrow as he saw the hurt Ianto was trying to hide.

"I don't know" Ianto shrugged, "I guess we have not been spending enough time together and she does not see me as pack. Or she just doesn't think that way. Maybe she has thrown to you and there is not enough of me in her for her to see me that way."

"Well, we need to do that then" Jack said firmly, "We need to stick together for a while, let her see us together and recognise you as a part of me. Then a part of her, right?"

"Wow" Dean said softly as he turned to Frank and 'listened' as Frank had a very big thing to say. When Frank was finished Dean was still and thoughtful as Bella canted her head.

"I don't get it either" she agreed with their weevil brother, "Love is love. I thought the Uncles loved each other and were in love forever and ever. Does love change? Does it go away if you use it all up or something?"

Frank shrugged to show he didn't know and Dean frowned as he thought about it and then shrugged as well, "Rose changed things. Daddy and Taddy changed roles and Daddy isn't the mummy that Taddy is. I think they are fighting about Rose. Daddy is hogging her too much and Taddy doesn't get a turn."

"You have to share" Bella said sternly, "That's the rules. They say so."

"Yeah" Dean sighed, "we all have to share."

Frank considered and then went to find Ianto where he threw his arms around him and held him tightly as Ianto stood there with surprise. Ianto lifted the wee man into his arms and hugged him back as Frank hummed. Claws tapped against Ianto's shoulder and he sighed as he hugged the weevil tighter.

_**It is OK I love you Uncle.** _

"Oh Frankie, I love you too darling" Ianto crooned, touched that the little fella cared so much.

He was such a credit to Owen's hard work. He was a wonderful Dad, all his children so perfectly edible.

And Frank was definitely Ianto's favourite.

With the renewed affection from the wee man Ianto squared his shoulders and realised he was being unfair in assuming Jack would follow him, after all this was Jack's world down here as much as up top was Ianto's. With that in mind, Ianto reached out to pat Jack's knee, "What are your plans today Cariad?"

"Well after this I go and help Rhys and Boomer with that big arse truck they want to change out the motor with the old fire truck so the flat bed runs again. Hay making almost destroyed it. That will take most of the day, well, bar stopping for food." Jack shrugged.

"OK, how about I come and entertain Rose to ones side so she can see you but gets used to seeing me about when it's not bedtime. Maybe she associates me with bedtime because it's the only time we cudde? She's not tired so she's annoyed with me?" Ianto tried to think logically, "Once she sees I am a daytime person too, she might start to show more interest in me. I have not been about during the day for her wee mind to associate me with awake things too."

"That makes sense love and it would be nice to have you nearby" Jack smiled softly, "One of the things I miss is that. At the Hub you were just outside my door, or a level down where I could find you on CCTV. You have no idea how much 'Ianto Watching' happened when I was stressed or bored. You did always look lovely in those suits."

Ianto smiled as he leaned in for a kiss and wondered at that last remark.

He did still have some somewhere; maybe if he took more interest in himself it would help? Gods knows, he needed a haircut too.

Ianto made some mental notes and then felt a rush of affection as the wee girl reached from Jack's arms to touch Ianto's leg, babbling as she told him something.

She was happy with the agreement too.


	28. plans

Jack was right about the motor taking most of the day, the men all telling stories as they worked and Kev showing his aim as he flicked oil at the others and they all generally acted like little boys playing with very large toys.

Rose had grown bored and as Ianto had hoped, she had turned her attention to him as she examined his face with her fingers. He lay on the blanket and let her lay in the crook oh his arm as she reached for his face with an intensify that reminded Ianto of her dear lovely father who was showing off a very nice builder's crack.

He needed new clothes. He never got clothes. Ianto made a mental note to check the stores for some jeans for him, he did love him in those denim teasers. This brought his mind back to the suit comment.

Billy arrived, his security stint done and he had Micha with him in her special cart. She lit up when she saw Rose and Ianto knew he was about to get mugged so he graciously handed the baby to her for a cuddle and called out to Jack that he was going to check the others.

Jack waved back at him, checking where the wee girl was and smiling as he called out, "You leaving her?"

"Yeah, Billy is here which means Marley is about three seconds awâ€¦" Ianto didn't need to finish the sentence as she walked from the tunnel and he pointed, motioning her over and talking quietly to her for a few minutes. She grinned as she nodded and leaned in to kiss his cheek before going to see her beloved.

Ianto headed to their dean and rooted around in some boxes, finding what he was looking for and he hung the charcoal suit for a steam and went to through the clothing rack covered in plastic to find the dark peppermint shirt and light mint tie. His oxfords looked so sad in the shoe box and it took a while to get that shine he always preferred, placing them by the clothing and going to the kitchen next.

"Nainny?"

"Hello sweetheart" she said happily, automatically checking if he had a child with him and he again saw the difference with Rose this time.

"No baby" he clarified, "Micha's turn for cuddles, you know I can't' say no to her when she has her mother's eyes."

"Tell me about it" she snorted, "So what can I do for you darling?"

"I want to have a quiet evening with Jack" he said as he laid out their problems as of late and Francine stopped to listen along with Fay who looked back and then shook her head with the wonderment. Of all of them down here, you would think Ianto and Jack were the strongest power couple. It was kind of nice to see they still worked at it.

With the meal sorted he then went to see Alice and was handed a grumpy baby to please, enjoying the little one's facial expressions and seeing Rhys in their wee one as much as he saw Jack peeking through as well.

"Melly Belly" he crooned as he ticked her and she squealed, her chubby wee body twisting as she tried to evade, while her little eyes danced with merriment. "Where's the P Man?"

"Pres said the kids are all doing some art after school today and the unders were allowed to go too" Alice smiled, "it's nice that the older kids are including the wee ones more. They are getting so bored and we aren't even half way though winter."

Ianto made a face and Alice caught it, her face falling in response, "Oh no. Really?"

"Remember winter before last?" he asked gently, "I think we have another long one. That's why I was so pedantic about the stuff we needed to pillage. I am afraid this one is not going to end for at least another nine, ten months. Maybe even more love."

"Oh god" she said with horror as she looked at her step-father. Still looking younger than her and fresh as a spring daisy, albeit a slightly hairy one.

As if hearing her thoughts he smiled and handed the baby back, "I have to run. Marley is giving me a cut and blow. Oh gods. Don't ever let me say that again. That sounds so wrong on so many levels."

Alice laughed at his easy banter and rose to see him out, stopping for a gentle hug and kiss that showed what a lovely big hearted man he was. Her dad was so lucky. Well so was she. Speaking of which, Rhys was walking towards her with grease and oil on one side of his face, split knuckles and a look of contentment.

"We dropped it in like a hand sliding onto a glove" he said as he got to them, "It was perfect. She purrs like a kitten now."

"Good" Ianto smiled as he patted his arm, "Well, I gotta go. Got a date with a certain man out of uniform."

Rhys turned to call afer him, "Well don't drink and drive, all I can say. I've seen you drifting in that bloody bug."

Ianto's laugher echoed as he waved over his shoulder and disappeared around the bend.

"Is he OK love?" Rhys asked with concern, "They seemed a bit off today."

"Worries weighing them down" she answered as she led her love in to break it to him that their spring wedding idea was gonna be a bust.


	29. preparing and remembering family

Marley told Ianto as she did his hair. Of course she did, she told him everything. He was as much her brother as her father-in-law after all.

"Really?" he sighed, kicking himself for the bomb he had dropped and walked away from.

"Yeah, she already has the dress. White silk from a parachute or something. I am gonna do her hair so pretty with some spring flowers entwined" Marley sighed, "She wants a lovely ceremony, a show of commitment and renewed passion. So romantic."

Ianto considered this as he sat in the chair tapping a finger on the leather armrest softly, "Me and Jack got engaged twice."

"Why, did you break up?"

"No, first time he was being silly and I said yes. Scared the shit out of him as much as is excited him" Ianto laughed, "The second time he meant it."

"Awwww, I think he will always mean it with you" she said happily, her hands resting in his shoulders as she looked at him all clean cut and fresh. He was so handsome.

Ianto rose and hugged her as she brushed him down and as he walked back towards their home he considered things.

It had been quite a productive day and he had learnt quite a lot. This visiting thing had some merit; maybe he should visit more people for a friendly talk and see what people were up to.

Sean was glad to see his brother, the hug gentle and full of affection as he welcomed him and then led him to a little scale village he was making. Sean had always enjoyed trains and little model things, this a scale model the village of Holdfast. Ianto was enamoured, loving the details.

"There was a craft shop in that mall, remember?" Ianto leaned back and frowned, "I remember scooping some stuff into one of the crates, when we got the choppers. They came back under Jack's other toy in the low bed. Gods, I wonder where they went. Some scale model people and such, even animals I think. Could be some dogs. Wouldn't be Holdfast without a dog or three wandering around."

"Yellow lids" Sean remembered with glee, "I know where they are. Behind the old coppers Bonny has stacked in the red barn. Oh."

"Up top still?" Ianto guessed and his brother pulled a face with annoyance.

"Well, I was intending to do a up-top run before tea, check the Dome was secure" Ianto said, lying but knowing Sean really wanted those miniatures now he knew of them, "I will take a quick gander. If they are within reach I will hook them out, OK?"

"Awesome" Sean rubbed his hands together, "Then I can work on the stream along the back."

Ianto considered as he looked at it all and those rose to leave, patting his brother on the shoulder as he passed him.

Next he found Bonny, "Bon? Those crates with the yellow lids they behind your copper?"

"Yeah, left hand side" she answered, her memory almost as good as his, "Why?"

"Sean needs some of the stuff, might bring them all down so we can pick through them later, give the kids some treats maybe during the next few months?" he answered and she smiled.

"Colder than a witch's tit up there love" she warned and he laughed, reminding her he had a great fur coat.

"God, I forgot about that" she laughed, "I still think of you as two different beings. The Wolfling that protect us and the man who cuddles so well. Boomer is getting jealous."

"Hey Bon, remember that large Perspex bubble we took off rolling thunder? It was an observation window a man could stand with his head inside to look 360 degrees while still being covered in case it was raining? Where did that go?"

"Ah, back of my workshop under a tarp" she replied "I thought it might look cool in the distillery but then forgot about it, why?"

"Sean's model village" he grinned, "It could be the Dome. The right size."

"Oh my god!" she squealed, "You clever man, its perfect. God, will take a couple of guys toâ€¦what am I saying. You can carry it. Duh! Again, I forget."

Ianto assured her that he didn't mind that, much nicer to be loved as the man anyway.

"Oh honey, you are so loved" she assured him happily, her hand patting his arm as she leaned in for a kiss.

Ianto checked his internal clock and knew he had at least three hours before his romantic meal with his husband so he moved to the upper levels and changed, moving through the doors to the Big House and then into Holdfast where the snow was so deep he had to dig his way out into the world.

Like being reborn.

As the cold wind licked at his face in a wintery kiss Ianto felt rejuvenated.

Alive.

He howled as he ran with glee, heading for the barn and the things for his brother as he noted the Dome humming happily above.

All right with the worlds, above and below.

Both of them his.


	30. cheek

Ianto was dragging the third crate with his teeth when he hit something with his butt, turning to find Jack in the snow laughing.

"Butt checked again" Jack crowed, "My gods, you are cruel."

"It's eight below, what the hell are you doing!" Ianto yelled above the wind as it howled around them.

"Looking for my crazy mate" Jack replied seizing the crate, "How many more?"

"Two more, you take that and I can bring the other two together, light contents." Ianto replied as he watched Jack slip in the slushy snow as he tried to pull the crate and then move to push instead.

"Nice arse" Ianto called out and Jack's laughter fluttered back on the wind.

Once they had all the crates in Jack slammed the door against the wall of snow, "Shit. What the hell are all these for?"

"The craft shop from the mall, remember? For Sean" Ianto panted as he motioned Jack to leave them there, "Hot pools. Now. These later, Christ on a stick."

Martha squealed as the large Wolfling lumbered into the hot pools and splashed into the water, emerging himself as he tried to warm up. Once warm he transformed and now Martha was laughing as a naked Welshman cuddled against her and Jack was still trying to get his own clothes off.

"Just because he is naked, you have to be too?" she asked with glee.

"Yeah" Jack said like it was a stupid question and sliding in to pull his husband back with a jealous glare like a child grabbing a kitten of a friend.

She laughed good naturedly knowing it was all an act and he would never worry about that score.

"Alice and Rhys were hoping for spring soon" Ianto said softly as he cuddled his husband, now warm, "I said it was a double winter and didn't know. Gods, how her face fell."

"Awwww" they wanted their ceremony?" Jack guessed.

"Yeah" Ianto sighed, "Can't fix everything, can I."

"Oh baby" Jack soothed, rubbing his shoulder then looking at the doorway with a soft snort.

"See?" Dean said imperiously as he lugged in his baby sister, "Cuddling."

"Rose, my dumpling bum" Jack crooned and Dean went to hand her to him, "Son maybe nappy off? Clothes?"

"Oh. Yeah. Duh" Dean did an excellent impression of his father as they all laughed and then a naked baby went into the water, followed soon after by the 3Ms who argued about laps.

"Gods" Ianto sighed as he nuzzled the nearest child, "that snow is at least four foot deep"

"I was worried about that" Martha sighed as she held Clarkson up, clucking at him as she moved to get out.

"You know, that little village is brilliant" Ianto said as he cuddled against his husband, "It is wasted shoved away in his craft room. We need to have it where everyone can see it"

"Will the kids play with it? Wreak it though?" Jack asked with a frown.

"The large plexiglass dome will protect it. We will screw it down so it can be removed if another building gets built up top or something. It will be like a 3D map." Ianto sighed as he stretched and went to rise from the water, reaching for a towel.

"Sean has worked on it for so long. He deserves some light" Jack agreed as he followed Ianto, already working out a spot for the large table and display Dome.

Ianto kissed his mate and headed for their home as Jack began moving the crates to Sean's workshop, his own things to work out now Jack was occupied for the last hour before tea.

He had to steam that suit.

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Sorry for late posts, the America's Cup Yacht Race crashed the internet LOL


	31. Date Night

Jack hummed as he passed one of the black crates by their den entrance, the yellow lid askew and he wondered what Ianto had wanted it for. Something in it for the kids? He entered the den and he stopped dead as he got his answer, the hundreds of little tea light candles peppering the cavern to complement the glow bugs on the ceiling made it feel like you were inside a disco ball.

There were fake water lilies floating in the water along with a couple of rubber ducks that had Jack grinning as he looked at what was definitely his taste and not Ianto's. A remote control boat sat at a little dock and a couple more sat in boxes. Gods, his mate must have cringed at the overkill.

Jack then turned to look at the table, the Chantilly lace over a dark crimson cloth seemed sweet and old school, the centrepiece of pinecones, winter roses and gold dust pulled him over to look at the cutlery and place mats waiting for two people.

"There you are"

Jack swung to look at the vision before him, his mouth going dry as he saw the man he fell in love with in a previous life or two.

"Wow" he couldn't speak, unusual for him but damn Ianto could do that to a person with that tucked in chin and coy gaze through his lashes.

"Alice has our pup and Hope and Dean are doing a group sleep-in with Martha and Boomer in the kid's den." Ianto said calmly, "We are child free this evening and you are all mine Captain."

"Oh my" Jack was still struggling to speak as Ianto turned on his heel to leave, heading for the kitchenette.

"Sit, I will get our food" he said as he minced away, "Maybe you should pour the wine since our pup is on the bottle now."

Jack looked at the label, one if his favourite vintages and his heart melted. How long had Ianto had this squirreled away?

Jack was enjoying his first sip when Ianto returned with a serving cart, their two plates on top and what appeared to be to pudding plates covered with cloths beneath along with a large bowl.

"Here we are my love" Ianto purred, placing their plates down and flicking off the covers with a flourish.

"Fish" Jack said with surprise, the salmon looking perfectly done.

"For a start, then we have a casserole in the tureen" Ianto said as he settled in his seat, "The winter lettuce is coming along is it not? How sweet is this wee salad the salmon is on, these red onions come from our little garden by our house Cariad."

"Really?" Jack asked with interest, "And the radish roses?"

"I made those, wasn't sure I remembered how. Nainny went into overload" Ianto laughed softly, "Those are from the children's garden area in the School Glass-Room."

Jack took a bite of their summer successes, humming as it exploded in his mouth.

"I always liked radish" Ianto said as he primed his own fork, "But eating home grown is so much better, I know see the store bought ones were bland."

Jack could only nod as he cleaned his plate and rubbed his hands together as Ianto swapped the plates and began to serve the meaty casserole, an extravaganza of vegetables as well as meat like an Irish stew.

"This is my own creation" Ianto said happily, "Have had it simmering all day, Francine stole some for her own tea as well."

Jack nodded, knowing Clive was also a bit overjoyed at the moment if his wife was being so damned sexy. "You are not the wife."

"Pardon?" Ianto asked with surprise.

"I mean" Jack snorted as he realised he had blurted it out loud, "I was just thinking that Clive must be thinking himself lucky right now as well, his wife serving him too and then I wanted to tell you that I don't think you are the wife. You are mine. Handsome, virile and sexy as all hell."

"Jack" Ianto's turn to struggle for words as he felt that glow of pleasure at his mate's praise, "For you I would serve gladly, but I know you would me as well. There is no wife here, just two mates. A couple."

"Yeah" Jakc sighed happily as he recharged their glasses and lifted his up, "A couple."

Ianto clicked their glasses and leaned back. "Jack?"

"Hmmmmm?"

"What do you think of a winter extravaganza?"

Jack looked up with surprise and Ianto continued, "We don't call it that but something nice like...a...A Couples Night or something, an evening without the kids where we all dress up like, have cocktails and finger food? We have a grownup night out with music playing and we have a bonding ceremony where anyone who wants to declare or renew a bond can step forward and be publically recognised? Not a wedding but as close as we can get. Then we can all dress up, put on airs and have a nice time?"

"You're thinking of Alice and her wedding" Jack was so touched as Ianto shrugged and glanced down at his glass.

"She wants that spring wedding and I do not want to deny her. This might be enough to tide her over, ya know? A teaser?" Ianto shrugged, "The kids are everywhere and although I love them we all need to have time to be grownups as well, let off steam and enjoy ourselves."

"Otherwise what are we leaving our kids except hard work" Jack nodded and Ianto coyly fluttered his eyelashes.

"Speaking of hard work Cariad" he breathed in a Marilyn Monroe way, "I worked hard to get those silk sheets on that bed. You wanna go mess them up mister?"

Jack knew he was more excited that a child at Christmas but damn, what a gift.


	32. Just a smutty one

Was having a funky day and couldn't concentrate to add chaps to my stories sorry...appears I am in a weird mood. So...here is mindless smut instead.

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Ianto was in the bedroom, starting the gramophone and Jack was almost driven to his knees as his beloved Holdfast started to woo him.

Ianto hesitated. "Is it okay to dance?"

Jack took hold of Ianto's hand, his smile seemed to give him the answer that he was looking for, bringing a dark blush to his cheeks, and he followed his husband's lead.

Jack pulled Ianto into his arms, so his hands were against Jack's chest, and stood there with him, looking into his wide eyes. Ianto's pupils dilated, darkening his irises, full of passion and hunger that Jack could feel beating in their hearts.

Jack slid his hands down to Ianto's waist from his ribs, and over his hips. Ianto felt too good beneath his touch. Ianto's eyelids slipped to half-mast and his palms pressed against his chest.

Jack tightened his grip on his hips and drew Ianto against him, starting to move slowly to the music. Ianto's hands slid up over Jack's chest and then over his collarbones towards his neck. Jack shivered when Ianto lightly swept his fingers across Jack's shoulders, and stepped into him, his body moving against his. Each time they brushed, each step that had them rubbing against each other, drove Jack a little farther towards the edge of control.

Ianto slipped his hands around the back of his head, twirled the dark hair around his slender fingers, and then settled them against the nape of his neck.

Jack shifted his hands, easing them around Ianto's back, until they met in the small of it, feeling the way Ianto's hips moved as he danced with him.

Ianto's leg slid between Jack and his between Ianto's, Ianto's eyes half-closed again when he brushed the apex of Ianto's thighs. Jack groaned and moved closer to Ianto, eager to feel the whole of his body against his, his thoughts diving down routes they hadn't traversed in a long time. He wanted to explore every supple inch of him with his mouth and hands, wanted to worship his body until he cried his name and collapsed into his arms.

Jack stepped back a little, unable to bear the torture and needing a moment to breathe. He was too close to letting go. Ianto stared into his eyes, his own full of invite, asking him to give in to him.

Ianto ran his hands down over Jack's biceps, slowly, his gaze following his right hand as it traced the curves of his mate's muscles, and his heart beating faster, as though exploring his body excited him. Ianto's eyes darkened and Jack could feel the hunger in him, could sense the growing need.

Jack loved how Ianto moved against him, his body brushing his, teasing him into submission, sending shiver after shiver over his skin and sending his temperature soaring. He loved the way Ianto looked into his eyes and smiled at him, so full of honest emotions and desire.

Ianto smiled at him, his hands resting lightly by his elbows, burning him with his touch.

Ianto's eyes slipped shut again when Jack ran his hands down to Ianto's backside and Jack groaned under his breath at the way the twin peachy globes moved beneath his fingers. He slid his hands lower, until he cupped his bottom, and drew Ianto against him, so their hard-ons ground together. Ianto's fingertips caressed his arms, working back up to his shoulders, making his body tremble with the thought of what was to come.

Jack lost track of what they were doing, until they were only holding each other, staring into each other's eyes, both of their hearts racing in unison. His gaze drifted back to Ianto's mouth and he couldn't fight the temptation.

Jack lowered his head towards Ianto's, wrapped him in his arms, and tilted his head to kiss him. Ianto wriggled against him. Jack groaned when Ianto's hip pressed against his aching erection. Ianto pressed his lips to Jack's and Jack immediately tilted his head and fused their mouths in another hungry kiss.

His tongue brushed Ianto's and he moaned and clutched his shoulder, drawing Jack closer until his chest was covering him again, his hands caressing his upper arms. Their hearts beating against each other.

Jack's mouth left Ianto's and he pressed long kisses down his jaw and his neck. Ianto reached up above his head and closed his eyes when he kissed over Ianto's collarbone and then down his chest.

"You taste good," Jack murmured against his skin and Ianto looked at him, meeting his gaze. He drew the cotton shirt back, revealing the swell of Ianto's pert nipples, and his eyes left Ianto's. Jack moaned, the sound of it making Ianto shiver with anticipation, and Jack lowered his head to Ianto's right nipple. He kissed and licked that nipple, sending sparks shooting outwards from its centre and rekindling the embers of the fire he'd lit in Ianto when they had danced.

Ianto arched against him, pressing his nipple into his mouth, and he groaned and sucked it. Ianto's dick throbbed, hot with need, aching to have his attention. Jack thumbed his other nipple, teasing it so it remained aroused and making Ianto burn for him. Ianto moaned at the thought and the feel of Jack at his nipples, making him out of his mind with his constant torture of his nipples. His dick was straining, aching for the feel of his attention, and he raked his nails down Jack's arms when he sucked harder and thrust against him. Jack slid a hand beneath Ianto and held him to him, groaning.

Ianto pushed back the covers of the bed as he felt back with one hand, needing to feel his hot body against the whole of his, wanting his delicious weight on him.

Wanting to be at his mercy. Clothing tore but was of no consequence as both men fumbled excitedly.

Jack stepped to the bed and stood there, a long hard cock twitching and bobbing, his gaze hungry and dark.

Ianto rubbed his thighs together, drawing his attention there, wanting to feel it on him and see the passion in his eyes when he looked. There was so much desire in his expression. It made Ianto feel powerful, sexy, and brave.

Jack groaned when Ianto ran his hands over his chest and taught stomach, teasing his own nipples, and then frowned when he skimmed them down his sides and cupped his own dick lazily stroking like a minx.

"Devil," he whispered and walked around the bed, his gaze never leaving him. His chest heaved, muscles straining and taut. He looked incredible. Ianto didn't stop. Each time he swept his hands over the large throbbing member, Jack moaned and his cock bobbed.

Ianto licked his lips. He wanted to taste that too. he wanted to wrap his lips around every hard inch of him and take him deep into his mouth, and suck him until he was crying his name to the heavens and clutching him to him.

Jack frowned when Ianto got onto his knees and crawled towards him where he stood at the foot of the bed. Ianto kneeled before him and held his dark gaze as he lightly wrapped his fingers around Jack's hard length. Jack's eyelids slipped to half-mast when Ianto moved his hand down, exposing the crown of his cock, and he shuddered. Ianto returned his gaze to Jack's hard length and ran his hand down it again, drawing another breathy moan from Jack. He leaned forwards and Jack gasped when he licked the head of his cock. His hands were instantly on Ianto's shoulders, his grip tight and bordering on painful. He didn't stop. He ran his tongue around the crown and tasted him.

Heat pooled at the apex of Ianto's core at the thought of him inside him, taking him, being with him. He wanted that. It was torture to wait but he would.

Jack groaned again when Ianto wrapped his mouth around his cock and sucked him, moving back and forth, his eyes closed in concentration. He tangled one hand in his smooth hair. Ianto held his cock tightly with his right hand and flicked his tongue over the sensitive head, eliciting another deep moan from him. The tight feeling inside Ianto increased with each moan that left his lips, the feeling of power increasing with them too and making his hunger rise. Ianto sucked him harder, holding him still with his hand so he couldn't thrust. He tried, desperate short movements accompanied by rumbling groans.

Ianto was in control now.

Or so he thought.

Before he could figure out what was happening, Jack was gone from his hand and his mouth and he was on his back on the bed. He gasped when Jack buried his face between his thighs and licked the length of his dick, sending a shockwave through him. Jack grabbed Ianto's ankles, hooking them over his broad shoulders, and then raised his bottom off the bed, so only his shoulders and head were touching it.

Ianto moaned and writhed under the heated caress of his tongue, clutching the sheets into his tight fists and silently begging him for more. He wanted to come. He wanted to explode into a thousand tiny pieces in his arms and under the blissful ministrations of his tongue. Ianto wriggled, desperate for the one flick of Jack's finger in his arse that would send him over the edge. He was so close. Jack released him before it happened, lowering his legs from his shoulders and breathing hard. Ianto panted along with him, trying to gather his scattered senses, and piecing himself back together.

Jack grabbed Ianto's hips and dragged him to the edge of the bed. His hard cock pressed against Ianto's entrance and he groaned at the feel of it, and at the thought of him thrusting into him. He rubbed himself against it, desperate to climax, too hot to wait.

Jack pressed Ianto's hips into the bed, stopping him, and his gaze met his again. The passion in them, the raw need, spoke to Ianto. It made him feel alive made him burn hotter.

Ianto freed his legs from beside his hips and ran his feet over the pronounced muscles of Jack's stomach to his pectorals. Jack kissed Ianto's ankle, holding it lightly in one hand, and took hold of his other one, bringing it to rest on his shoulder.

Ianto waited, his eyes on Jack, his body calling him.

He sighed when he ran the head of his cock over Ianto's crack, teasing him with it, driving him to the edge again, and then Ianto closed his eyes and moaned as he slowly filled him. Inch after inch.

Ianto quivered at the feel of him stretching him, going deep into his body, until Jack's balls tickled his backside. It was divine.

Another sighing moan escaped Ianto when Jack eased his length almost fully out and his groan joined it when he slid back in, deep and slow, until his pelvic bone brushed Ianto's ball sack. He withdrew again, quicker this time, and thrust back in, gradually building the pace until it was hard to keep his focus on him and not close his eyes.

Ianto placed his hands over Jack's and held them. Jack pumped hard and deep, his pelvic bone slamming against him each time their hips met, sending his dick slapping between them. Ianto tensed his muscles around his cock, groaning with him, low and deep, desperate in her search for release.

It came in a blinding flash, sending a wave of scorching heat over his body. His thighs tingled. Jack didn't stop. He drove harder, longer strokes that built the fire inside him again, until he was moaning and clutching his hands, uttering quiet pleas for more.

Jack groaned each time he entered him, filling the bedroom with the sound. It was guttural and almost animalistic as he thrust faster and faster, until Ianto was on the verge of crumbling into pieces again.

Ianto arched his back, choking Jack's cock in his warm depths, and drawing a deep hard thrust from him as a response. He did it again, teasing him, trying to draw Jack to the edge with him. Jack raised him bottom from the bed and tore a moan from his throat when he plunged deeper, taking all of him. He gave a groan that Ianto could only think of as a low growl and slammed into his core, his cock throbbing and spilling his warm seed.

Ianto clenched his muscles around him, aching to climax too. His hand delved between them and he groaned when the feeling of Jack coming inside him and the sweep of Ianto's thumb over his own knob made him come, his body milking Jack's. Jack held him there, moaning quietly as his muscles squeezed Jack's softening cock.

They collapsed amid soft laughter and a wreaked bed.

After so much time, they were still animals tearing at each other in the throes of passion.

Still in love.


	33. words and memories

Ianto felt renewed.

He had realised he was looking at things wrong as usual and was now treating this forced internment as time to internalise and find positivity.

He started by going to the school supply room and getting several exercise books then he found a nice spot in the Family Room where he could see the children doing some play they wanted to create while also seeing the little ones sitting happily with their toys.

Ianto ran his hand over the plain cover and then wrote in large letters on the front of it 'BOOK ONE ... AUTOMOBILES' and settled some more as a feeling of calm washed over him. He wrote for several hours, time losing all meaning as he wrote down all he could recall about the combustible engine and the history of the car.

"Babe?"

Ianto looked up to find Jack sitting next to him and judging from the half empty cup of coffee he had been watching him for a while, their baby girl asleep on the floor mat.

"Cariad" Ianto smiled, "Sorry."

"What are you doing?" Jack asked as he picked up a book, Book One since Ianto was now half way through the second one.

"The history of the car" Ianto said calmly, "Next will be the aeroplane I think."

Jack smiled as he read a little from the book and then looked at Ianto, "That impeccable memory of yours is amazing. This is a brilliant idea. Gods, of course we need to record the way things were. This is all important."

Ianto shone as he enjoyed the praise of his love, "Also, I want to document our journey here. What happened. I stopped writing a diary when it all kicked off but did like a mental one each night in my head. Silly I know but..."

"It's not silly" Jack crooned, "I know you have reasons for things and it makes sense to me."

"Really?"

"So, what else are you going to document?" Jack said with a cheeky grin, "I hope the steamy ones are going to be marked R18 plus love."

"Stop it" Ianto scolded gently, his face showing his affection as he pointed to a list. "I have several topics."

Jack picked it up and looked at the list. "Vending machines, shit. Good one. Oooooo, candy floss. Brighton Beach Pier. Wow. Yeah. That's all gone now. Oh babe. Such good things. TV. Yeah."

Jack went quiet as he contemplated and then sighed, "While writing about cars don't forget to mention the traffic lights and new car smell."

"Oh Cariad" Ianto said softly, "So sad? New baby smells as good."

"Yeah" Jack smiled again, "You are right. Better than a new car any day."

"Well, I do miss the smell of newsprint" Ianto said after a while, "And a bookstore. That ink and paper smell."

Jack smiled softly, "But new baby smell is better?"

"Yeah" Ianto grinned, "I will write one all about smells and sounds of the old life I think."

"Brilliant" Jack nodded, settling to read the book Ianto had finished, then he passed it to Sean who had been waiting impatiently to see what Ianto had written.

The evening meal came out and they sat to eat, more ideas thrown out and Jack intervened, "Look, Ianto isn't a bloody computer ya know!"

"Thank you Cariad" Ianto said softly, "Look, I suggest we all put our ides down and I will see what goes together for each book as some ideas won't take a whole book to get down. Maybe some of you can write your own as well, your memories of getting here, the aftermath part as well as your previous life? The children will have questions from their own children on day. We need to take the past with us whether we like it or not."

"Those who do not learn from their past are doomed to repeat it" Ifan said softly and everyone nodded.

"It's OK to wax lyrical but a bit of honesty too, we made mistakes. The human race fucked up" Martha agreed, "We need to own that too."

"I will also do a series of children's books" Ianto said after a while, "Tosh has a lot of the photos from the main servers before they fried. It will take time to get this done but it will occupy me at least. I know I've been moping about, sorry for that guys."

"You were looking for a purpose" Fay said with an encouraging nod, "Honey you sure found it. This is an amazing idea. We should have thought of this sooner. We are the last generation of the old world. If these are not written down it will all be gone. This way those we lost can be remembered too."

"Gods, you are right" Ianto nodded, "Like a family tree where we all write about people we knew. Memories of then as well. Memorial books. One for Shiloh we can all write a chapter in?"

"Love it!" Alice grinned.

Jack smiled happily as he watched Ianto preen.

There would be the extravaganza as well, once Ianto had chewed on that more and he was so proud of him.

Once again, Ianto shone.


	34. blueberries are the only blues allowed

 

The children were all listless today, the winter blues in full effect and didn't Ianto know that feeling well.

"DRESS UP DAY!" he suddenly shouted, feeling stupidly excited as he pulled out the old boxes of clothing that had been rejected for rags or specifically put aside for the children as they were too garish or not practical enough for everyday use.

Jack wandered over and soon had hold of a red sequinned ball gown "Who threw this out."

Ianto grunted as he pulled on some fishing waders that came up to his armpits and the kids were all soon laughing with glee as the 'Frog Man' strutted about in the waders with diving goggles on making silly noises.

They got the idea to be silly.

Frogs, cats, pirates and an extremely posh Weevil in top hat and a monocle soon filled the Family Place as they all yelled, whooped and laughed. Adults joined in, also shaking off the blues as they got almost hysterical with glee.

Then Jack entered, his little stash of goodies had been raided as he tried on the frock and now he pranced about the room in the high heels he had hid for over a year.

The place came to a standstill as they all gaped, the bright red lipstick and the string of granny pearls.

"Darlink!" Jack crowed, "Spiffing, what? What?"

His English accent sounded more Scottish and Ianto sniggered, then bent at the waist to grab his knees and bellow with mirth, everyone else joining in.

"Dance with me" Ianto tried to speak calmly, holding out his hand and the Princess and the Frog danced.

"If you kiss me, I will turn into a handsome prince" Ianto whispered with snorts of mirth, Jack slowing to pull him close.

"Ianto" he whispered, his face serious, "You already are my prince."

Their kiss brought hoots and cheering as they swayed, the children changing the music to dance stuff and soon they were all bopping about the space as workers moved around them to set the table for dinner.

They sat in their clothing, Ianto with the goggles on the top of his head much as the 3Ms wore theirs most days and they had all thought it so cool they had retrieved their own.

"Oh Nainny!" Ianto gasped with glee, "Are these blueberries?"

"Yes" she said happily, "Homemade ice-cream and fresh blueberries from our Under Garden."

"Wow, the lighting array is really working as a sun substitute" Tosh was crowing a little but everyone let her, after all it had been her idea to set up the ultraviolet and heat lamp array that was now convincing their large gardens it was summer.

Ianto had a craving for fresh fruit and it showed as he hummed happily around each mouthful. Those responsible for growing the plants felt extra warmth from his enjoyment of such a small thing.

As Ianto ate, little Rose reached across from her father's lap to pat his arm and Ianto leaned back to accept her, his arms closing around her fat little body that was really squishable and warm. Laying her head on his chest the baby was soon asleep, Jack gushing softly as how sweet and happy she looked listening to her Taddy's heart.

"After all, it's my favourite music too" he told them all with wide eyes, the long fake lashes making him even more sincere.

"Boy! Those lashes look stupid!" Poppy declared, his shower cap sliding down again as he pushed it back, "They are too big!"

Jack leaned back to take in the man sitting there complete with a farmer's slicker, yellow shower cap and bright pink sunglasses on.

"What!"

"Just thinking pink is not your colour Darlink!" Jack purred and Poppy glared.

"I will have you know, Young Ifan here chose these so if you don't like it stuff off!" he roared.

"He's just jealous" Ifan soothed, pattng the old man's arm affectionately, "He wanted them but I snatched them first!"

"That's my boy" Poppy crooned, "Always look after your elders!"

"But I'm older than all of you!" Jack wailed.

"We are talking about maturity, not years" Poppy said grandly as Jack spluttered and they all laughed.

Ianto leaned over and said calmly, "Don't worry Cariad. You are my old man."

More roars of mirth as Jack pretended to be insulted. Jack was quietly pleased to see Ianto playing, his melancholy of the last few weeks shaken off and he leaned over to steal a kiss.

"Sorry lady" Ianto said as he leaned away, "These lips belong to just one man."

Jack's smile was blinding.


	35. Pack on Alert

The Wolfing was topside, running with the wind.

It felt so alive, so damned huge and invincible.

The snows had been hard and the winter had changed the entire landscape so it resembled some movie set for Siberia or something, a tree poking out, the river cutting a swathe as it had not yet frozen over.

The Wolfling heard a bird call in the distance and slowed the rhythm to listen, interested it turned and began to head that way.

Not a bird.

A cat?

It slid down the embankment, those huge feet leaving indents in the snow, such deep drifts of snow. The Wolfling skidded to a halt at the bottom and listened again.

There.

The huge bulk moved towards a copse of trees, senses tingling as it neared and the cry came again.

The Wolfling moved with inhuman speed, the unnatural grace of it's heritage as it not only ran but seemingly flew across the snow where the baby lay cold and naked, little limbs pumping as it railed against the world.

Hope woke.

She lay in her bed panting, realising with horror that she had to go to the loo and she rushed from the bed for the bathroom area, banging into her baby brother.

"Sissy" he whispered, "I wet me bed."

"That dream again?" she asked and he nodded morosely, still not telling her what he had dreampt that had woken him every night for the last week.

"I had one too" she admitted, "Second night in a row. A baby."

"Out in the snow" he finished for her, his eyes dark, almost black in the dim light of the bathroom.

She stared at him for a few moments and sighed.

"Well, shit."

.

.

.

.

.

Ianto turned as his children entered and he canted his head, a crying baby slowly winding down in his arms.

Jack moved in the bed to let them both in, looking over at Ianto with surprise as he watched the children clamber in and he frowned, Ianto moving back to the bed where he handed the now calm baby back to her dam.

"What's happening pups?" he asked softly as he slid in to cuddle his daughter and Dean kissed his baby sister.

"Bad dreams Tadda" Hope said with large eyes, "Bad dreams about the poor cold baby."

"In the snow" Ianto whispered, his frown deepening and he looked over at his son who was nodding.

A noise in the doorway had them turning to see Frank looking for his bed mate, his frown deep as he had been annoyed to wake alone in a damp bed and Ianto smiled as he lifted the covers to let the wee weevil in.

Jack looked over at Ianto and frowned, "What is it? You are all dreaming the same? Babe?"

"I need to see Owen" Ianto said softly, "This has been happening for more than a week. I thought yesterday I could hear it while actually awake up there. I have been wondering and I really am not too sure."

"Are you telling me you are in pup?" Jack suddenly sat up.

"I don't know. I mean, I always felt it with these ones but it's...maybe it's too soon, or it's one that has already slipped and it's saying goodbye" Ianto whispered, "I have not felt one stick, I wasn't trying for one."

"A miscarriage?" Jack asked.

Ianto shrugged, "Maybe. I don't know. I was going to see Owen tomorrow anyway."

"Well, today now" Jack said strongly, "You will go, right?"

"Yes" Ianto promised as the babies settled to sleep, finally calmed.

.

.

..

Owen stood and showed the screen to Ianto and he looked at the small spark, barely even there.

"Crazy" Ianto said softly, "Not even fourteen weeks is it"

"No, you have only just fallen in mate" Owen nodded, "Maybe ten? Shit, like...it's passing through and deciding if it wants to stay."

Ianto suddenly sat upright with horror, "Shit. I was supposed to take a long run today, Sean went instead."

Owen considered and then turned to call to Tosh, "Hon. Call Sean back, tell him there might be danger out there today."

Tosh made a noise of agreement and called it on, the sound of the large Cat re-entering the cave system heard as Ianto hastened towards the motor pool.

Sean stepped down from the track of the Cat with wide eyes and a pale face, "Shit. I got that call and turned back, we were moving along the ridge when an avalanche happened. Jesus, it took the entire embankment down to the water. The river is raging. If I hadn't stopped to listen to Tosh I might have been washed away."

"And if I had been with you I would have been running ahead along the riverbank" Ianto agreed, smiling as his hands went to his stomach, his pup not even fully formed yet strong enough to warn of danger. It had just saved them both.

This one was going to be something special.

It already had the bond locked in.

Proven as Jack slammed in with his eyes wide followed by the hysterical kids, "Ianto?"

Ianto's beaming smile told Jack all he needed to know and he laughed as he did a happy dance.

Little Rose bounced about in her Daddy's chest and rolled her eyes.

Gods, it's just another baby not even a doggie or something cool.


	36. mine and ours

"Only immediate family" Ianto had declared, Jack rushing to tell Alice as Ianto wandered over to tell their son.

Ianto still felt slightly uneasy about this one, the warnings and the second sight there but also the promise lingering as if the wee one had still not decided to stay.

He didn't want to jinx it, not this early.

Billy and Marley were not home, probably with Kev and Crew as the little family was getting called, Kev, Tish and Mica always together if not one of them working.

Ianto did not want to tell them all. If felt strange, just Bills and Marls. Ya know? Keep it close, just by his heart kinda thing. Jack had been great about it, well there was some pouting as he was told no crowing at the table for a little while longer, but he did agree. The only worry was wee Dean. Hope knew why her Dam was nervous, Wee Rosie could not tell but Dean was that difficult age where he would either do as asked or go 'screw you' and blurt.

Frank knew this as well, his wee brain working overtime as he thought about Uncle having another baby and he wanted to ask his Dadda about it but didn't want to be annoying so he went to Jack instead.

Jack had been surprised and touched, "Well, yes. It is different for a boy to have a baby Frankie. Good question. Our bodies are not made for it, girls are. Their hips are wider, their organ move around and make room. They have a natural ability that is wonderful and amazing. Boys traditionally don't. I do because I am a mutant. So is Uncle. So ...ah. You asking for Dean? You wondering if he might have a baby one day?"

Frank hadn't considered it but now it was spoken he realised it was a real possibility and he asked

WHAT IF I LOVE HIM TOO MUCH? A WEEVIL AND HUMAN CAN NOT MAKE A BABY DO I HAVE TO GIVE HIM AWAY SO HE CAN HAVE A BABY WITH SOMEONE ELSE?

Jack was shocked and touched by the level of affection in the wee weevil's face as he tapped in his arm, the eyes wide with wonder at the thought.

"I don't know love" Jack said softly, "Billy and Marley are not the same are they? They are pregnant."

A Weevil shrug is a cute thing to watch, the roll and pitch.

"Who can say?" Jack considered carefully, "If Dean and Bella mate she would have the baby because Dean would give her his specialness from his willy. A boy's willy has specialness, a girl's inside bits take the specialness to make a baby. A baby grows inside, ya see?"

Frank nodded knowing this all from watching the pigs and the sheep and stuff.

"A boy and a boy both have specialness and no inside bits. I do. So does Ianto because we are not 'just' boys. I guess it is possible that Dean had inherited that. He might be able to grow a baby from your specialness. You know, you are still babies yourselves and it will be many years before you need to think about that" Jack pulled Frank into a hug, "But I know my son loves you and Bella like nobody else and thzt will never change. You are adopted, like Billy. Maybe you will adopt too? "

Frank nodded, his claw tapping

HE IS MINE AND I SHARE BUT HE IS MINE FIRST

Jack snorted, such a jealous wee beastie this.

LIKE UNCLE SHARES YOU WTH BABIES BUT YOU ARE HIS AND HE IS YOURS

"Yes Frank" Jack whispered, "True love is binding. A pledge, a promise. It can't be broken."

Frank hummed and then wandered off as Ianto stepped from around the doorframe, "Wow. Good save there."

"It never ceases to amaze me how clever he is" Jack said softly.

"Makes you wonder, if he is what about the others?" Ianto sat in his lap and cuddled into his embrace, "We only saw a handful. They might be living down there in some sort of organised society, scoffing at us apes up here."

Jack snorted at the thought and hugged Ianto tighter, "Like the story about the tunnel dwellers that sneak up to steal a topsider every now and then?"

Ianto sniggered as he stroked Jack's face, "I think we are the clever ones living with the apes like some sort of biology or ecological research team."

Jack laughed, "Did you find him?"

"No, I think they are visiting" Ianto shrugged, "Plenty of time. How about you tell me about that time you danced on a spaceship outside Big Ben again."

Jack settled to tell of how he first met Rose and the Doctor, his love growing heavy as he relaxed and listened to the love and warmth of his mate.

"You know you are mine" Ianto whispered, "I share you too?"

"Yes baby" Jack smiled as he closed his eyes, their heads together, "All for you."

Ianto's hum was musical.


	37. BIG TIME SMUTTTTTTTTT

Finally the children were off for the late afternoon art class, the den finally silent as wee Rose snored gently in her basket.

Ianto unceremoniously dropped his load of washing on the coffee table. It was only when his arms were free, and he had turned to face the couch and situate himself, that he noticed Jack's sleeping form already stretched across the length of the cushions.

He slept peacefully, his mouth closed though upturned into the semblance of a grin. Even in sleep he was the same goofy, lovable, handsome Jack, with tan face and sensual lips and jeans that hugged his long, lithe legs.

Ianto paused, his hands frozen above the couch, surprised by his sudden appearance and fearful he might wake him.

But Jack was a heavy sleeper, and Ianto's clumsy clattering had not broken the spell. Still he stood frozen above him, waiting to see if he would awaken. His breathing was even, his arms sprawled out; one hung limply down, the knuckles of its hand resting on the floor, the other was raised above him, encircling his head, the palm resting against his ear on the opposite side. This was his favourite position, arm around head. As he told him, there was something comforting about holding yourself. It was the best substitute if you didn't have your love to do it for you.

Ianto kneeled on the floor between the coffee table and the couch. He loved watching Jack sleep; he possessed a calm he struggled to find in his own life, stressed as he was this winter and the many demands of being an adult. Somehow, Jack had held onto the carefree attitude of childhood, though he was a grown man (and an able one at that, he thought), and this was apparent in the way he held himself, in the way he talked, and, like now, in the way he slept. He did everything fully, devoting himself entirely to whatever activity he happened to be undertaking. It was something he admired in him, something he envied, though he knew Jack was unsure of himself just like anyone else, and that, as he sometimes mentioned, he envied Ianto's drive, the worrying attitude that drove him to greater things.

Ianto leaned close to Jack's chest and breathed deep.

His scent, his musky, manly scent, filled Ianto's nostrils and he felt a rush of excitement course through him. It has been eight years...he was always amazed by this fact...eight years and still he desired him, needed him, and ached for him, just as much as when they'd first been getting to know one another. He thought of all the years and of all their many adventures: of Torchwood (and the first time they'd made love in that wee cot), of their race for the farm and the olds when it all went to shit, then the lake where there'd been little to do in their cabin, though they found plenty of ways to pass the time), of trips far and wide pilfering, new places to be together, new places to touch each other, new places to explore both sights and themselves.

Eight years, and he wouldn't wish it any other way. Eight years, and he was giddy because of how many more were yet to come.

Jack shifted, drawing his foot, the one resting on the arm of the couch, down and his knee up. His arm above his head did not move, but the one dragging the floor raised up and reached out to rest on Ianto's back.

"Mmm...Hi...my Holdfast..." Jack mumbled, not opening his eyes, not yet fully awake. He smiled and his head turned towards him.

"Hi, my sexy man." Ianto leaned forward and kissed the crook of his elbow. "How did you know I was here?"

Jack smiled wider.

"I always know...when you're near me." His voice was thick, the words working to find a way from his sleeping body.

"Well, shh, my sweet, I'm here, so go back to sleep."

"Sleep?"

"Yeah, sleep. Close your eyes and..."

Jack giggled and his fingers ran along Ianto's back. "Silly, my eyes _are_ closed."

Ianto smiled and kissed his elbow again.

"Good. You're on the right track. Keep them closed and relax."

"Okay, my love. You got it, boss" Jack's hand dropped from Ianto's shoulder to the floor. He didn't say anything else, but his mouth cracked open and his breath evened.

Ianto moved the baby to the other room as he decided it was a good time for some 'afternoon delight' because it might have been eight bloody years but he would never get enough of that man in his den.

Ianto felt the rush of lust like a freight train as his hormones flooded his senses. Ianto settled his sweetling and went out to get him some!

Ianto put his mouth to his ear, struck by sudden inspiration, his laundry forgotten.

"Keep your eyes closed, dear," he whispered, "I've got a surprise for you. As a thank you for being such a good babysitter this afternoon."

Jack smiled again but did not say anything, only his eyebrows arched in anticipation.

Ianto stood and quickly undressed. He looked down over his body. He was slim, proud of the way he looked, although truthfully, he knew he was also lucky. He had never had to work for the way he looked. Ever.

Ianto kneeled down again and put his palms on the edge of the seat cushions. One hand he left here to support himself; the other he gently raised and placed on Jack's stomach. At his touch, Jack moved slightly, but otherwise did nothing, the smile still spread across his face. Ianto began to trace his fingers up his chest, over the curve of his muscles, up to his collarbone and across his long, columnar neck. He was wearing the same clothes from the afternoon except his boots he had kicked off onto the floor beside the sofa, his toes covered by a pair of argyle socks Ianto had given him not too long ago.

Ianto traced his lines, lingering at the bottom of the "V" on his v-neck shirt. His skin here was warm...he was always warm...and smooth.

Ianto moved his hand down, running down the crease between Jack's stomach muscles, until he came to the top of his jeans. With one hand, he deftly undid the belt. Taking the other from the couch, he unbuttoned his pants. Jack smiled wider and shifted, moving his hips towards him. Taking this opportunity of cooperation, Ianto stood up and took hold of the top of his jeans, one hand on either side of his hips. Jack knew what Ianto wanted, and without opening his eyes or changing his breathing, he pushed his hips up from the couch and Ianto pulled his pants down to his knees. He was wearing a pair of bright red underwearâ€”another present he'd given him...and his growing bulge was clearly visible.

Jack lowered his hips to the couch. Ianto took hold his feet and raised his legs, slipping his jeans from his lower body and tossing them onto the floor next to his shoes.

Ianto kneeled next to him again and, with one hand playing at the waistband of his underwear, he used the other to feel his thighs, paler than the rest of him, but as strong as any other part.

Ianto slipped one finger into the band of his underwear. Jack was grinning now, obviously awake, yet fighting to remain impassive and compliant. Ianto's finger reached down and touched the tip of his manhood. Ianto's finger came away wet and he pulled his hand from his underwear and held it to his mouth.

"Mmmmmm..." he intoned, sliding the finger into his mouth. Jack's hips wiggled with pleasure.

Ianto reached back out to Jack's body. The mound in his pants was much larger now and, if he paid close attention, pausing to observe, he could see it quiver, see it vibrating underneath the cotton cloth.

Ianto's hand teased the waistband of his underwear again, now tracing his manhood on the outside, now dipping into it to touch him and feel his hardness. With each of his caresses Jack groaned, low, deep, happy.

Ianto teased him a while longer, letting his anticipation, and his own, grow. All at once his hand reached into his underwear and wrapped around his full length. Jack's body jumped under his touch, immediately settling into the couch, his hips already moving circularly to his rhythm.

Ianto took a breath. He could smell him now, his scent mingling with his, though Jack's was a deeper, spicier aroma. With a free hand, the hand not enveloping him, he pulled at Jack's underwear, lowering it onto his thighs. He could see all of him now, and feel him, see how the skin of his shaft was shiny, how the head was engorged, how at the very tip of him a dot of liquid had collected and shone dewy in the lamp of the main room.

Without removing his hand, Ianto bent down and licked the drop of liquid. Jack gasped, surprised at the sudden appearance of Ianto's tongue against him.

Ianto left his tongue on his body for a moment, relishing his feel and his pleasure and his taste. Ianto's hand moved down his shaft and closed around his testicles. Naked and hairless.

With his hand around his balls, he examined his now visible manhood. He was thick, long, thick and sturdy. Ianto licked the full length of him, enjoying the way he shuddered under his touch. With the tip of his tongue, he circled his head. He moaned a low sigh of delight.

Ianto's teased him a while longer, his tongue playing across the spongy underside of his cock's head. His hips were moving steadily now, grinding up towards Ianto's playful tongue. He moaned louder, almost whimpering with desire.

Ianto pulled back and, his lips puckered, blew a thin stream of cool air onto Jack's hot member. His cock trembled and twitched, the muscles contracting. Ianto bent down again and enveloped him in his mouth. Jack whimpered, groaning, his arm reaching up from the ground and rubbing across Ianto's shoulders.

Ianto kept him fully in his mouth, not moving, just letting him enjoy the warm sensation. His pelvis jumped excitedly, and, bowing to his unspoken request Ianto began to move his head up and down, letting his tongue trace the long seam of his cock, pausing at the top of each stroke, lingering on his head, lapping up the juice that collected on his tip.

Ianto knew Jack loved the way he used his mouth, loved the feel of his warm tongue and cheeks around him, and he used this knowledge to tease him, to grow his desire and anticipation as he used to back at the Hub once upon a time.

He was fully erect, so hard that his cock felt solid and unbreakable. Ianto assumed a quicker rhythm, enjoying how his hips quickly synchronized. Jack's hand crept up Ianto's shoulder, entangling itself in his hair, pulling it slightly, pushing his head down, and helping to drive the motion of his mouth up and down. Jack's head arched back into the head of the couch, his legs stretching out over the armrest.

All at once, Jack forced Ianto's head down as far as it could go, making him take the full length of him in his mouth. He held him there, not moving, no movement at all except for the twitching of his cock against his tongue.

Ianto held himself there and looked up at him, at his abs contracting and tightening as he curled his body towards him. Jack loosened his grip and Ianto raised his head and timidly licked the tip of his penis again.

While all of this was happening, Ianto's other hand had moved down between his legs. Ianto had found the lube in the sofa cushions and enjoying the way Jack enjoyed him, had begun to finger himself, a slim middle finger sliding in and out of his now wet hole, lingering at the opening, then driving into him as he lowered his mouth onto Jack's cock. Ianto was moaning now too, his pitch higher than Jack's, but matching his rhythm just the same.

Ianto pulled Jack out of his mouth and sat back. Without pulling out of himself, Ianto stood. Upright, he spread his legs slightly open and removed his finger, taking a moment to rub his dick.

Ianto lifted one leg and set his foot onto the couch on the other side of Jack, wedging it in between his body and the back cushions. Jack felt his leg and adjusted his body, giving him room. Ianto lifted his other leg, standing on the couch straddling the man below him.

Ianto lowered himself onto his knees, still using his hand to rub himself. Once on his knees, he centred himself over Jack. He lowered himself further, allowing Jack's cock to caress the edge of his hole. Ianto was wet and prepared, and his slickness mixed with Jack's and he slid back and forth against him. Jack pressed into him, though he held himself up slightly, not yet ready, delighting in the feel of him and how it would feel once Ianto let him inside.

Jack's hands were around Ianto's waist now, guiding his movements forward and back against him. Jack's eyes were closed...he wouldn't open them for anything...but his instincts guided him.

Ianto's arse was relaxed now, open, and Jack's cock began to push deeper and deeper into its wonderland. Ianto slid from the top of his head, letting it linger near his opening, to the bottom of his shaft, the rest of him pushing up. He ground further forward with each repetition, and, suddenly, on one of their undulations, his penis didn't slide back out, but slid in, both gasping as Ianto lowered himself onto him. Ianto was warm, warm and wet and tight, and he was thick, thick and wet and warm. He slid further down until Jack was fully inside. Neither of them moved.

They remained motionless for just a moment, settling themselves into this new sensation. Then Ianto began to gyrate back and forth, driving his hips towards his chest, and then grinding them back towards his knees. Jack was hard, harder than he normally was, no doubt turned on by this bossy top, and his thickness was so filling it almost hurt. With each push back of Ianto's pelvis, Jack's cock pushed against Ianto's insides, sending signals, pulses, of pleasure, shooting from where he pressed against him to the furthest reaches of his body.

Ianto's speed quickened, Jack's hands firmly gripping his waist, helping to keep the momentum. His hands held Ianto, guided him, and pushed him down harder onto him, filling him. Jack groaned, his toes curling, cramping.

Ianto used his hands at first to grip the back of the couch, then to run over Jack's chest, then to squeeze his own nipples, twirling his nipples between his fingers.

"OoooohOooooohOooooohYessssss....." Ianto groaned, his pleasure centres lighting up with each pulse of electricity Jack shot through him. With each push back of his hips he could feel Jack flexing his manhood, using the contraction of his muscles to push harder against his prostate. The same old feeling was rising in Ianto, its momentum almost too much, no longer within their control.

Ianto's head lolled back, his eyes up at the ceiling, seeing nothing. Jack's breath was ragged now too, coming in shallow gasps as he worked to keep the momentum. Ianto could tell Jack was close, and he could tell he was close too.

"Ianto," Jack managed to work out, "Ianto...I'm about to...I'm close..."

"Wait, Jack. Not yet. Hold it. I'm almost there...¦"

"Oh, Ianto...Ooooooh..."

The orgasm inside of Ianto grew, building like a wave approaching shore. The tip of Jack's cock pressed against the small knot of nerves inside of him, each tap against it almost unbearably nice. Ianto could feel himself beginning to contract and moved one hand from his nipple to Jack's hip, holding himself in place. Jack knew he was close and now held him tighter too, pushing him down and working to keep himself inside of him as his body contracted. He was building, his cock starting to contract and tighten all on its own, the pleasure mounting in the back of his mind, his body squeezing and relaxing with their rhythms.

"Jack, Jack, Jack..." Ianto chanted. There was nothing he could do now, no stopping. Ianto's body was heating up and he could feel the change in temperature inside of him, feel the rising sensation as his body ached towards its final goal.

"Jack, Jack, Jack..."

"Oh, fuck, oh Ianto, ohhhh..." Jack increased their speed again, driving himself forward as he drove Ianto back.

Ianto was contracting fully now, it was very difficult to stay inside, and Jack's arms were flexed, his muscles shining, dewy with sweat, his hands red from gripping Ianto's hips, working to keep him there. Their moaning had risen in pitch and now filled the den.

Suddenly, it happened. Ianto felt an overwhelming explosion, and then wetness spilled from him, rushing over Jack's stomach and chest. Jack's eyes snapped open, his head rising to watch Ianto against him. Ianto's whole body was shaking, Ianto's arms uncontrollable, no longer gripping at his hips but raised above his head, riding Jack wantonly.

Jack struggled to keep his eyes open, driving Ianto back and forth and watching and feeling him undulate around his cock.

"Oh, shit! Here it comes..." he yelled, and all at once he began to shake too, his toes knocking against each other, his arms flexing tightly against Ianto. Jack's eyes rolled back into his head and he struggled to keep them open, struggled to keep his gaze fixed on Ianto's writhing body. Ianto felt Jack's hot spunk shoot into his body, and shoot and shoot and shoot, an army of pent up soldiers restless from their afternoon together.

Ianto was still coming, his arse muscles contracting forcibly against Jack, each contraction squeezing more from Jack and more from him. Jack could feel the creamy liquid flowing down over his testicles, running down his perineum to the cushion below him. He groaned and his body contracted and still more hot liquid poured from Ianto's thin, quivering body onto Jack's erupting cock as Ianto's load now trickled from Jack's chest and stomach around his waist.

Their shaking began to subside, Ianto's lasting long after Jack's had stopped and Jack lay relaxed and exhausted against the couch. Even though he had come, his cock remained hard, helping Ianto to ride wave after wave of pleasure. Finally, he too fell over onto Jack exhausted, his breathing uneven and stuttering.

"Oh. My. Goddess." he huffed.

"Mmmmm, Yan," Jack hugged Ianto to him, smelling his hair. "I forgot how horny you get when preggers."

"Huh?"

"Not a complaint" Jack laughed as he slapped the bare arse of his love, "Never ever gonna be one!"

Ianto hummed and nuzzled his love.

That felt soooooo much better.

,',

,

,

,

Whew. I don't know about you but I sure needed that!


	38. wake up

Marley was frantic, running for Ianto's cave with ragged sobs as those she passed stopped their work to follow.

Ianto and Jack were thankfully dressed, sitting at the table with a cup of tea when she burst in, so out of breath that she could only wave her arms as she gasped for some sort of control. As they held her Ianto reminded her she knew Morse and she tapped on his arm while shaking with her uncontrollable shock.

Billy.

"what is it?" Jack demanded, his boots already being laced up.

"They were on perimeter patrol, Billy saw something in the tree line and went to investigate thinking it was an injured animal. He has been taken" Ianto growled, his eyes glowing with rage as he handed Marley off to Toshiko who crooned softly as she watched the Wolfling transform with rage.

"Easy baby, let's remember...."

"Someone took our son. We do not have time to think, only act. If they are cannibals he will be the evening meal" Ianto snarled savagely as Marley sobbed louder, "This is not about who is more important or my condition. If they take one, they will return and take another. We are now a food sources. No. We must act and we must act now. Proactive strike."

"I agree" Kev said from the doorway, "But maybe you are best in human form? If they do not know about this form here, it can be a saving grace. Better to have an ace up the sleeve brother and right now you look so scary they will fire without hesitation. We use stealth while Jack walks in the front door like there is no problem. Parlay or whatever you call it. You and I slip about finding Billy and then we nuke the place with your vengeance. OK?"

"Sorry" Ianto said as he regained human form "A bit hormonal. Um. Yes, you are right. Bull in a china shop me."

"I would rather you didn't come at all" Jack said softly, "But we both know I need you. If we have to fight our way out we need all we can get and you stay here young miss!"

Jack swung as Marley had started to struggle to speak again, his gaze firmly on her stomach which was now an obvious bulge. "None of us know how a transformation would affect that one inside you, besides. Hope will try to sneak out if she doesn't have you to fuss on."

"Gods, she probably will" Kev agreed, turning to Tish who was already on the radio to check where she was with the others.

"We go hard and fast" Ianto was doing up the side holster for the gun he knew he would not use and then slipped the blade into his boot, "No time for pleasantries. They took the decision for that away when they snatched him. If he is harmed or....well, if they have hurt him I will kill them all. Sorry... no exceptions I will do what I must to protect us."

"Agreed" Jack said as he slipped his own knife into a boot and then looked over at Kev who was zipping up his ski suit, "Just the three of us?"

"Best to keep it small. Four." Kev replies, "Martha to cover and fall back as our diversion if needed, she is a bloody great sniper."

"Already on it" Martha's voice crackled over the coms they had all fitted, "I am in Cat3 waiting for your tired male arses to catch up, I suggest we take Cat 3 and 5. Then when Kev and Ianto peel off me and Jack still have one each, we ditch them at the fallback site and Jack walks in on foot, seemingly alone as Ianto and Kev flank."

"Agreed" the men said as they walked towards the carpool and as he had feared Hope stepped in front of her father with a look of thunder.

"Where are you and Taddy off to?"

"Billy is in a spot of bother, we may be late for tea so you will have to ask Granny Fran to put some aside if we get stuck. Marley is really upset that she can't come because of the bubba and I would appreciate it if you could comfort her for me and keep her here" Jack replied as calmly as he could given that Jones Stare of Doom.

"What about Taddy's bubba?" Dean asked from behind her, his own eyes glowing with anger and Ianto sighed, taking a knee.

"Bad men have pinched Billy and we have to go take him back, probably kill them for trying to take him away. I have Dad, uncle Kev and Aunty Martha with me and Dad is taking point, not me" he assured them, "We all know if the shit hits the fan the Wolfling is the only real asset in a bum fight here. I will have to go, I will have to fight and I will come home with your bother come hell or high water."

"Will bubba be ok?" Dean asked with wide eyes, his huge heart so much like Jack's as he worried about his unborn sibling.

"Yes" Ianto said with finality, "All my babies will be fine and I will set fire to the worlds if I must to keep it that way."

"OK" Hope stepped aside, "But I am not happy about this. Not at all."

"No princess" Jack kissed her forehead as he rose to follow his husband, "None of us are but sometimes in a war you must walk the mine field."

"So your enemies follow" she frowned, "Bad choice Dad. Are you not following now?"

"Yeah, but we have something they don't" Jack smiled softly.

"What?"

"You waiting back here."

Jack walked after his beloved, feeling the eyes of his children boring into his back and he glanced over at Tish who was holding his wee Rose tightly as she waved Kev off.

Ianto was tight.

This was not going to be pleasant, but it had to be done.

All of it.


	39. Walking the walk

It took two hours to follow the trail before it dried up and Ianto was forced to walk the snow drifts using his keen smell to see beneath their attempts to cover their tracks. Another hour and they were on the outskirts of what appeared to be a small village that hadn't been on the maps, likely one that had been abandoned pre-Zland. As agreed Jack calmly squared his shoulders and began to walk down the road that was clear of snow, showing they had snow ploughs and were more organised than they would have liked.

Ianto and Kev moved to flanking positions, low and fast as they skirted the buildings and tried to keep Jack in their line of sight as he strode with confidence calling out a cheerful hello.

Four guns.

Ianto smelt more on the wind and knew his love was not foolish enough to not have noticed either so he trusted him and moved to check the rear buildings as he 'felt' Martha move to cover from the tree line.

He scented for Billy and detected him in a building that appeared to be an old cinema. Great. Ianto knew it would be a large space hard to hide in and most likely more unpleasant than he wanted it to be.

He was right.

It was huge and desolate with the stench of death in the air. He listened as he let his eyes adjust and change to see the dark interior after the bright snow lit world outside. He soon saw the seats were only the back rows, most of the forward ones pulled out with the huge staging area and there suspended by his wrists was his child.

So you might call him a man now but to Ianto he would always be his child and right now a pissed as all hell Taddy was about to rein down hell as the sounds and smells around him revealed themselves to be the undead. Some crawled with limbs missing, portions of skull missing to show the brains still intact enough to cause undead tendencies and Ianto swallowed back bile at the sea of inhumanity that served as some sort of burglar alarm. Anyone trying to save a loved one would fall to the jackals that circled like sharks. Ianto felt ill. His anger flaring as he also knew there were men sitting in the opera boxes waiting for the show to begin.

Ianto reached back for his blade, taking the first headshot with glee, watching it disappear up to the hilt, then letting the dead unfortunate fall back, mercied.

He then shimmied up a curtain into one of the boxes, taking out the two men who were half asleep. He took their weapons and moved into the lobby, skirting around to the next box and here he found the couple in the middle of their sexual release, their deaths simple as he cut the throat of the man and let her writhe beneath him as she tried to escape, her screams now alerting others but Ianto had felt a grim satisfaction.

Shots fired.

Martha.

Ianto hoped Jack was keeping his head down and moving swiftly, Ianto was now as he transformed, the Wolfling swinging though the sea of Zs as he strode to his child and let Billy place his feet on his back in order to let some slack on his wrists release him from the hook they were caught on. Billy fell into his Taddy's fur, his fingers finding traction even as Ianto turned to offer the knife between his teeth. Billy cut his binding and leaned low over his father's neck, "Come on Taddy. Let's go."

Ianto dragged one of those he had killed out of the cinema into the main street where he saw Jack's body in the distance surrounded by those who were crowing over such an easy kill.

Yes.

It was all too easy.

Ianto stepped aside and let the undead who had followed the body free to see down the street as well, watching as they spewed into the street and people started to scream as they saw the hound from hell descending at a slow trot with the zombie hoard on his heels. Ianto's roar rattled windows as he advanced, Jack rising and upholstering his Webley to fire a muzzle-to-temple shot in to the head honcho who looked at him with surprise as he folded and died.

Ianto roared again, this time the signal for Martha and Kev to close ranks, both rising from their positions and walking calmly towards the township with their weapons firing. It was a bad business but had to be done.

A cleansing of sorts.

For hell had come calling and when it came, it did not knock before entering.

For Hell lived here already.


	40. time of comfort

They found three more being held, one too far gone and on the verge of turning was mercied, the other two checked and deemed well enough to travel.

The two men were shell-shocked but they were brave, walking around the huge beast that stood with blood dripping from its jaws and a young man draped across its shoulders like some horror movie. Billy wept as he buried his face in his Taddy's fur and Ianto hummed as he did when cuddling him as a small child in an attempt to cocoon his against the horrors of the day.

Finally content that everyone was down, Martha whistled and moved towards the trees with a finger twirling above her shoulder and headed for the snow cats waiting.

Ianto gave his son time to recover himself before releasing him and Jack helped him rise to his feet to move out.

Ianto walked without looking back as the explosive timers all started to timeout, the place erupting around him.

Jack and Kev watched their beloved Holdfast walk the valley of death, fearing no evil.

They had vanquished it.

The Wolfling's eyes glowed with the firelight they drank in.

Golden justice.

.

.

.

.

Ianto did not transform until he was in the hot pools, having slid to the bottom and he sat there until he felt the warmth finally sinking into his bones and he gently rose to breach the water as a man once more.

"Marley sent some Apple shampoo from her special stock" Jack said as he slid in as well, groaning with relief at the heat that welcomed him, "You know she coverts this like gold hen's teeth."

"It is on my recon list" Ianto agreed smiling at Jack's mixed metaphors as he tipped his head back to let Jack reach and he massaged his love's scalp as Ianto relaxed into the water.

"Tadda?"

"Hey munchkin" Ianto said with his eyes still closed, feeling the water shift as his son slid into the water, followed by another that was obviously Frank. Ianto opened his eyes to look at the two boys who were examining him as Jack washed.

"Yes Deano?" he asked softly.

"Frank wants to know if they are gone" Dean replied, pointing at his mate, "We want to know if it is safe again."

"Yes" Ianto said flatly, letting his eyes close as his head fell back against Jack's chest and his beloved's hands soothed his shoulders from their tense posture.

"Good" Dean sighed, turning to have a silent conversation with the weevil, their hands against each other's arm as they tapped and giggled softly at whatever was amusing them.

"Someone wants in too" Hope said, her baby sister wriggling in her arms and Jack lit up, reaching for his baby to ease her into the water.

"Cariad, you could have undressed her first ya know" Ianto sighed as the baby was now thrust at him and he was given the task, Jack turning back to entice Hope in for a cuddle.

"Billy is OK" Hope said, more of a declaration than a question and Jack nodded, kissing her as he cuddled her into his lap. His princess.

Frank was talking again, Ianto's eyes following the claws so delicately bushing against Dean's arm and he snorted as he realised what they were discussing. Both little heads turned to look at him like he was interrupting and he started to laugh.

"What?" Jack asked as he washed his daughter's back for her.

"These little beasts are wondering how to have a picnic underground, apparently their wee selves are sick to death of the common room." Ianto giggled, "They are wondering how cold it really is, if a picnic in the snow would be possible."

"Cheeky wee beasts" Jack agreed with a snort.

Ianto sighed as he considered, "It was not that cold today, there is no snow forecast for the next few days. They are getting a wee bit nuts."

"What do you suggest Holdfast?" Jack asked as he watched wee faces grow serious while they listened to the grups.

"We will talk to the others, Maybe tomorrow they can play topside in the snow if it gets warm enough. A real play with snowmen and snowball fights. Hopefully Owen will not injure anyone with his over exuberance, you know he is terrible loser. Then we push the tables to one side and have a picnic in the Family Room on the floor. Cloths, pillows to sit on and even some music or entertainment if the kids want to sing for their supper."

"Oh please Daddy?" Hope begged, her eyes wide with longing and Jack was reminded that of all his children this was the one who could control him at the hint of tears.

"Well, I guess so but I am telling you now young lady" Jack said firmly, "nobody is pissing in the snow!"

There was a flurry of activity in the water as the two boys seemed to argue and then Dean huffed, "I know! Gosh, it was only one time. One time and you never let it drop do you. I said sorry, how was I supposed to know there was a bloody person buried under there, what sort of sane person buries themselves in the snow anyway. God! I am sorry I peed on you! Let it go Cariad!"

Frank huffed and folded his arms as Dean flopped back theatrically, such a parody of Jack that Ianto couldn't help but giggle.

It had been two winters since the fateful day Dean had been busting and peed on a snow drift that was actually Frank hiding in the snow and the wee weevil had been so incensed that he had not spoken to him for days.

Such a couple.

Ianto found comfort in the fact that there was love, promise of togetherness for both of them.


	41. congrats and questions

Ianto laid watching Owen work as the piece of tech was gently moved over his torso and Owen's smile was all he needed to know the baby was OK.

He was tired, cranky and hungry but this was the most important stop after getting dressed in a warm sweater he knew his Nainny had spent a lot of time and love on. Owen wiped the stomach and then patted it, looking so childlike that as Ianto sat up he kissed Owen's cheek with a gentle affection. Although Owen was older than him he felt a paternal love for him, as you would a little brother or a son. He did not question it, no need. It felt right.

They walked to the Family Place where their seat waited and Jack made sure Ianto was seated before sitting himself, the love and affection Ianto had shown during his pregnancy still fresh in his mind and he knew he had been a little remiss in that way as a mate, something he was going to rectify.

Jack's fussing and gushing did not go unnoticed and Ianto knew his time of waiting was over, Jack was so obvious in his administrations that it was almost cloying, cutting his meat maybe going a wee bit too far as he sat there watching his mate's face shine with delight while their baby girl cooed from Billy's lap Jack kept looking over at them, no doubt also wondering if he could have sacrificed her if need be for their son, if he could have bravely strode into battle with a bump. Was he a good man. Was he worthy of his beloved mate?

Ianto knew what he was thinking and thought it sweet, of not a little slanted and had tried to tell Jack he had done well by him but gave up in the end, letting him fuss. Everyone was watching and those who did not know soon did, the whispering soon turning to horror as it was realised he had gone to war for them with in pup.

"OK, I can hear you all hissing like cats" Ianto said loudly, "I am in pup."

The place erupted and he sat calmly letting them, then spoke once it had calmed down a bit, "My son was in danger, I reacted. I cannot put the life of one above that of another. If I had to choose I would die in their stead. I will die for all of you in a heartbeat, even if that includes the spark inside me. As it should be."

"Are you well?" Ifan asked of his grandson, ignoring the talking that had begun around him and it died as they waited for his answer.

"Yes, Owen had checked me over and the wee one if healthy and secure." Ianto replied, the collective sigh of relief comforting, "This was not planned, I did not want to spark at the same time as Jack and felt sure the next snows might bring me fertility. The Gods had other ideas and here we are. Sometimes I think I am like the cows down in the Farm Cavern. Popping out a beast very now and then. No, this is a wonderful blessing and they will be so close in age that they shall be best friends."

Frank clicked his claws in the table and Ianto canted his head to listen as the place grew silent out of respect, the clicking going for a while then dying away as Ianto sat staring at the little fella.

"Well. That is a big question" Ianto finally said, Dean's face a mask of confusion.

"Frank, if you want to be part of this one then by all means" Ianto nodded, "In fact it might be a good winter activity for us all. How about you children start a wall chart. Every Friday I will stand in a corner with my back against one wall so you can draw the outline of the bump on the other wall. You can watch it grow, learn from Owen how big the baby is inside and stuff. When it is old enough for kicking and stuff you can all take turns feeling and listening, maybe even a scan or two in the evening to see the progress. What a grown-up request. I am touched that you show such interest in a new life, of course I shall share."

Frank jiggled in the chair with open delight as Dean reached out to pat his hand, everyone watched the little boy mimic his father and gushed gently as the display of affection for his bestie.

"That is a good idea" Hope joined the conversation and all the children swung to her with interest, "We need to learn these things. One day we will have babies of our own and it will not be so scary if we know what if going on in our bodies. Besides, it means we have something to do all winter and if we are lucky maybe he will be here in time for spring to begin."

"Like a wee lamb" Bella said with delight, "A new life for a new season."

"Yes, but he won't be a lamb" Hope corrected her gently with a soft smile.

"He will be a wolf."


	42. Rites and wrongs

It was still dark when they moved out, nervous yet resolute in their decision to do what was right.

Paige glanced at Travis who was helping Stephen and Liam as they adjusted their packs and then they moved out along the ridgeline. They moved quickly wanting to put distance between them and the caves before daylight. Before they were missed. Definitely before they could be called back for a bollocking.

This was their right of passage, they had talked about it for weeks as the days lengthened and the skies brightened, winter settling to its midpoint calm. They knew they were going to be in trouble but also knew they had to do this. Had to find out what sort of people they were capable of being without Grups watching over them. Gods, they were nearly Grups too, right?

Paige and Travis were not the ringleaders even though they were the oldest, more like they were trying to make sure the two younger and more determined members of this fellowship didn't get themselves killed.

Liam stopped to check the map, pointing to the horizon, "That way. A large town, a mall."

"Thank god" Paige sighed, cold and hungry, "At least we can stop for something to eat then. Maybe settle for a couple of hours?"

"It's at least another four hours at the speed we are travelling so we will all be too buggered to care when we get there" Stephen snorted, her soft sigh drowned in the crunching of their footsteps.

As they walked they employed their training to mask their trail, looking for signs of life ahead and they finally came to something that was haunting. A car graveyard by the looks. Liam looked at the rusting heaps and turned to face the others hoping he sounded like Uncle Ianto as he spoke, "Must have been a roadblock. They ditched the cars and moved on foot but let's walk carefully. There may be remains around here, people would have died at the time. No matter how many years have passed, they still deserve respect."

They nodded as they picked their way around vehicles and Paige reminding them that tetanus from a rusty scratch could be fatal out here, helping cover their tracks with the straw broom. She was nervous, knowing her uncles were going to kill her, let alone her sister when she got hold of her but so much had happened, she was not that scared little kid hiding in the car while the world tried to eat them.

She had to show herself that too.

Paige straightened up and looked back for where they had come, nothing still there to even show they existed and the light snow falling didn't hamper their journey but helped them by covering their tracks more.

"Paige" Travis called softly, "Come on love, it's going to be dark soon, we need to find shelter."

She turned and ran along the stone ground, glad there was one patch that would not show their footprints, meaning they would travel this ridgeline much faster.

.

.

.

.

.

"They were here about two hours ago" Kev said as he crouched over the rocks, searching and detecting the faint echoes of the children through the thin layer of snow on the rock face.

"Do you think they've told him yet?" Tish asked, knowing as well as him that Ianto would destroy the place when he realised what had happened and they could only hope they might find the kids and return them before Ianto even discovered them gone.

With his pregnancy more intense than the others he was sleeping a lot more, Jack showing both affection and concern as Ianto was uncommonly lethargic. The last thing he needed was a mission. They all knew the mere thought of these little shits out here would panic him.

"Look at these cars, I remember this checkpoint" Kev sighed and a hand slapped his shoulder affectionately as Jack pushed past, confident that Marley was doing her part in keeping their beloved Holdfast in bed with her own 'tummy' for him to fuss on. Of course, he was going to notice Jack gone sooner or later, the constant hovering annoying the hell out of him. The sudden absence was going to be a stark change.

"It's going to be dark soon, we best double time it to see if we can catch them up" Kev said as he turned to look at Jack, the slight nod enough for him to take off at speed. His training now kicking in as he flew lightly across the snow and towards those who would get a good ear bashing after a grateful hug. Tish watched her beloved disappear into the tree line and turned to Jack, showing her fear as he nodded.

"He knows his own strength and weakness" Jack assured her, "He's a good man."

"He's my man" she agreed with pride as Jack worried about his own back in Stronghold.


	43. Not good at all

Ianto had known something was up as soon as Jack sent their son in for his boots instead of simply retrieving them himself. Even with it not being a big deal for him to go out, it was for him to hide the fact and Ianto had lain there for a long time wondering, pondering and was about to catch Dean and Frank as he knew they would not be able to lie but then Marley had slid into the bed whispering that her morning sickness was making her feel achy. That was three hours ago and as she slept curled around him like a cat his mind had gone back to this preponderance. Something was definitely wrong. His children had not been near him, not even Hope who usually checked on him religiously.

Marley mumbled and shifted in her sleep as Ianto slid out of the bed and dressed, then padded along the tunnel towards the hum of voices. They forget things, these silly people he calls pack. Forget his advanced self has advanced hearing to match and he stood nowhere near the entrance to the control room as Tosh and Owen talked quietly to each other.

He knew in a matter of moments, his blood boiling as his hands went to his stomach to soothe the pup within. Little shits.

Ianto was also angry that he was being handled, like a fucking hysterical woman told she must have a wee cup of tea and calm the fuck down while the menfolk sort the scary spider in the bathtub. He walked with purpose to the vehicle pool and stood simmering even more as everything sat staring back. Not even a snow cat missing.

"Yan?" Rhys aid with surprise as he slid out from under Rolling Thunder.

"They didn't even take a vehicle?" Ianto sighed, "Both teams are on foot."

Rhys grimaced, "Yeah. Kev is tracking and it's slower going than you. Shit."

"It's OK, I know this is not your fault brother" Ianto sighed as he sat on the track of one of the snow cats weighing up options and Rhys sat next to him wiping his hands on a piece of rag. "Too cold for a chopper, ice in the engine right? Too cold. Gods."

"Look, you can't go. End of" Rhys said flatly, his hand cutting through the air to emphasise his point, "You are preggers, unwell and too precious to us. Jack will be OK, Kev is scary fine and that wee Tish is a power house. They will find the kids, box their ears and get them home. You know this I know this. You think I like the idea of Stephen out there? Shit, I'm a realist. You taught me to be. That's why I am here shitting bricks instead of out there floundering in the snow slowing the others down."

"I know" Ianto sighed "I am so pissed."

"I know but what purpose does that serve mate?" Rhys said softly, "Will that help get them back? Aid Jack? Look I don't pretend to understand the bond you all have but maybe, just maybe he can feel you still and he might feel better if he feels you are OK instead of all stirred up making yourself puke."

Ianto nodded, leaning back to open himself to the bond, sending loving thoughts and warmth through the bond. The faint reply from Jack told him Rhys was right and it had been needed.

The other reply hadn't been so nice.

For either of them.

.

.

.

..

Jack stood, the tin of beans falling from his hand as he spun to look back in the direction they had come, cursing softly.

Tish looked up from the map she was scribbling on as he startled her and Kev simply slid the safety off his rifle as he sat stock still, scanning the area Jack was openly glaring at.

"You might as well come here you little shit!" he roared, his anger making him shake and to their confusion a dog walked slowly towards them, it's head down with open shame.

It was yellow, sort of blondish and resembled a wolf hound. As it came hear Kev was taken with the brilliant blue eyes sweeping over them, then he knew too. Deep in his gut he knew and he staggered to his feet with a horror to match Jack's.

"What the hell is it with the kids today" Kev snarled, "I swear to the gods, they all need a fucking time out"

.

.

.

.

"Ianto?" Rhys said softly, alarmed at Ianto's sudden change and he tried to hold him in an effort to comfort but Ianto shook him off and stormed for the control room with a murderous glare that had people scattering to the winds.

More than one small child woke from their nap and started to cry, an unknown fear gripping them as Ianto slammed into the room and looked at those assembled.

"Hope has followed them too" he said angrily, "Happy now? You keep me in the dark, go behind my back and my child thinks she must do my job for me. Well?"

Owen had gone pale as he stared at the shaking mess, the large elongated teeth making Ianto look like some crazed creature which I suppose he was.

Frank slid from the room and started to run his crabby sideways shuffle.

Dean was not going to like this either.

This was bad.


	44. look before crossing the road

"I don't think I have the words for the level of anger I feel right now" Alice said as she watched Ianto sit in his chair gripping the armrests with his fingers resembling claws.

"Grounded doesn't begin to cover their punishment" Ifan agreed as he also watched his grandson struggle to remain calm, "I am thinking latrine duty with the farm for a start, that bloody giraffe shits worse than the cows."

"Ew" Owen grimaced, then rubbed his face as his own concern thrummed. "It's Ianto I'm concerned with, that level of anger is not good for his blood pressure. He's getting paler than the snow outside."

Francine passed them with Rose in her arms, plonking the baby into her Taddy's lap and Ianto's face softened immediately. Rose was now three months old, perky and cheeky with it, showing her Daddy in everything she did bar the occasional growl of annoyance that was definitely Wolfling.

Ianto crooned as she cuddled against him and hummed, closing her little eyes to listen to his heartbeat as her hands slid to the pup within and they communed silently.

Dean entered and walked over to stand next to his Taddy's chair and his look of anger echoed his Tad's with everyone taken with the replica scowl as he spoke softly "Sissy is so dead when she gets back. How dare she be Grupping so soon."

Ianto sighed as he let his hand cover the little one resting on the arm of his chair and he looked lovingly at his only biological son. Just as he revelled in Rose being Jack all over again he also revelled in this one being his to the bone. Hope had always been a mix, her father shining as well as her Tad and these two younger ones had been more defined, like they had chosen more than Hope had. After all, she had been their first. Only right there be both Jack had argued happily, her being the next to lead with Billy.

Now Ianto wondered who she was channelling with her mischief. The Dad who was a hero or the Tad who was the panicker. Either way, they knew all the children were going to face a stern shake up as things had started going Lord of the Flies here. Damn, Ianto was angry with himself for taking his eyes off them, blaming himself for everything as he always did as the Alpha.

Dean walked over to help one of the little ones with a toy that was too far down the toy box, climbing in to hand it out to a grateful Charlie. Hailey watched with a soft smile, grateful her little one was not aware of the dramas around them.

"Deano?" Bella asked softly as she leaned against the toy box, "Where is Frank?"

"Getting something for Billy" Dean answered, looking at her and smiling, "You have new hair."

"Mama did it, do you like it?" she turned her head so the corn rows were more noticeable and he reached out to run his fingers over it.

"I like your fluffy hair too but I do like to see your face like this" he said after considering, "You are so pretty."

"Pretty enough?" she asked hopefully.

"Bella, you are always pretty enough for me my Belle" he said softly, Harkness grin to complete the wooing.

Just babies but they know what love is.

.

.

.

.

Hope sat morosely in the big jersey that was more like a woolly dress as her Dad stuffed the things into the pack and swung it over his shoulder, still not speaking to her.

"Come on" Kev was the first to forgive her as she looked ridiculous with the huge clothing and the spare pair of his long johns all rolled up for pants, "We will catch up to them before dark and hopefully not encounter any trouble."

"Sorry Daddy, I got angry and wanted to shout at them. I don't know how I changed but one minute I was walking and then next I was running so fast." She said softly.

"Your first transformation" Tish sighed, "And your Tad not even here to see it. Gods, that will break his heart too."

Hope's eyes widened as she finally got the severity of her actions, turning to her Dad as he spoke to Tosh softly over the walkie talkie, sighing as he turned to look at her with a glare.

"He knows we are gone" he finally said to them, "including this one. Apparently he refuses to go to bed and it sitting by the fire seething."

"Great" Kev huffed, "His gaze might flare the fire and kill them all if we don't hurry."

"At least Billy had agreed to stay, Marley and Ianto might lose it otherwise. Christ." Jack rubbed his face as Hope looked at her feet.

"Sorry Sir."

"Taddy is in pup and going through an unwell period as is Marley. Neither can transform right now, a perilous time for our pack. And you are out here with us, who defends the lair?" Jack knew it was mean but also wanted her to see all the points of the problem, her head whipping up to stare at him. "Stephen and Liam are our power base. Those two with Billy form our security pack for the ridgeline checks. Billy now has to patrol that with the younger less trained ones. I am out here, Tad and Marley can't transform. What if there is an attack back at the Stronghold? Insurgents? We are all the way over here chasing these little shits and now you left them unprotected too."

Kev bit the inside of his mouth as he wanted to tell Jack to ease off but he saw the flare of anger in the little face even as she looked forlorn.

Jack was right.

If she was to lead she had to learn to look both ways.


	45. seeing the long distance

Billy was sitting on the lookout tower when he heard a snort, turning to find Frank standing in the little entrance way to the old water tower that was now the lookout post.

"Hey buddy you come to spend some time?" Billy asked touched as he saw a little flask in his hand. "That hot chocolate from Nainny?"

Frank lifted the other hand to show a larger one and Billy smiled, good old Nainny looking after her boys. Billy lifted the blanket and Frank shuffled into it, their body warmth under the huge blanket keeping them both warm. Every second plank or so had been removed from the tank in no real pattern so looking out you could see everything for miles but anyone looking at the tower from a distance would still see an old falling apart tank.

It also meant the watcher was dry with a good roof and the old sofa and things inside were well covered. Frank was worried, his concern showing as he stroked Billy's arm and Billy knew the little guy didn't know how to make things right.

"They will be well punished buddy" Billy promised, "Don't worry. Dad will find them. He found us, remember? He will always be there when we need him, they will all come back OK. I know Tad is unwell but that's the puppy in his tum. You are helping, honest you are mate."

Frank nodded and looked out over the snow, his short sight still good enough to see anything dark against the white snow and Billy let him think he was doing the job. Why not, he was a good little man.

And it would have been a lonely night without him for company.

.

.

.

.

Stephen heard something, his heart pounding as he motioned for the others to hide and he took aim as something moved outside.

"Stephen, you shoot me and you will be in even more trouble" can a familiar voice as Stephen straightened up with shock.

"Uncle Kev?"

Kev slid onside the building through the skylight like they had, his feet unable to find purchase on the moss that had grown over the framework and he looked like a bloody movie stunt man as he slid down to land on his feet, glaring at those who waited with awe.

"SAFE" Kev roared and a rope snaked down followed by Tish and she hit the bottom, looking back up. They all looked at each other knowing who it would be and they all froze as Jack easily traversed the rope with Hope on his back like a monkey, sliding off to grin at them before remembering she was in trouble.

"Happy? Had fun? Good. Look what fallout you have started, this one came after you" Jack roared, his anger fresher than his relief at finding them safe.

"Hope, you didn't!" Paige hissed, "You are just a baby."

Look who's talking!" she roared back with anger, "Taddy is sick because he is scared for you. I think you should all be eaten, you can't be trusted to protect us if you can't be bothered to do your jobs. Billy is back there alone! You know the others don't have the training for night watch! The Grups deserve their sleep, now they have to do your shifts."

Stephen looked at Liam who was looking at his feet and Jack now saw why his little girl had followed him as she stormed over to get into the boy's personal space, forcing him to see her.

"Who will protect me if you are gone?" she asked softly, "Taddy sick, Daddy needing to be there for him and baby Rose. Why must Taddy and Daddy do all the work? You want to be Grups yet you have no....no...."

They all waited as she struggled for the right word, "No leadership."

"We are going to be Grups. The last ones to remember this" Stephen explained as he sat on what must have been an escalator once, "I remember this place. Me and Mum came here for the school shoes. I rode this. Do you know what this is?"

She shook her head as she looked at the weird metal stairs almost totally covered in a mossy carpet.

"This was a machine, the steps moved on their own and you simply stepped on the bottom one" he did so and looked at her, "Then it rose up...you were carried up to the next level like the special bucket for the water tower. You went up, shopped and came down on that one, the steps moving in the other direction. Lazy huh? We were lazy. Humans. I guess I wanted one more look at my history. One day I will sit like Poppy does with one of your pups on my knee and tell it about the world we used to have, ho foolish we were and what we destroyed with our greed."

"I thought more would be here" Paige said sadly, "It's all gone isn't it."

"No" Hope sighed as she shook her head at them, "That's the point. It's all back at home."


	46. Tum is waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](https://postimages.org/)  
> 

It was early hour of the morning when Stephen started awake, swinging the rifle only to have Jack seize it before it finished its sweep. Motioning him to silence, Jack pointed.

Deer.

Up on the ground floor of that had been...sports equipment? Deer were calmly walking as they headed along the walkway to another hole and they jumped up through, escaping into the cosmos. They lay there for a while, then Stephen looked at his grandfather, "Granddad, where will all this go?"

"Same way as the deer, into the wilds" Jack replied softly, "The world you remember is gone. Maybe for the better. Man was a virus slowly killing this planet like cancer. She had purged herself and is now setting things right. Healing."

"We have to remember, I mean do we haveâ€¦.ah. right. Uncle's books he's writing. We need to as well, right? Our memories of our childhoods. Thing we want our kids to know" Liam agreed as he sat up and rubbed his face.

"We all need to remember so we don't do it again" Jack sighed, "No, man will find another way to screw with this lovely place. It's in our nature to destroy what we love."

"I wanna go home" Hope said softly, "I want Taddy."

"Me too pumpkin" Jack agreed as he rose, "Toilet, a wash and breakfast, then we start for home."

"Uncle, we've not seen any..."

"Don't' you dare Liam" Hope cut him off with a snarl, "You dare jinx us and I will have your bloody nose off your face."

"The fact the deer are so calm, know their way around suggests there is no danger here" Jack assured his little one, "The damage here speaks of a battle. No doubt in the daylight we will find remains of military machines somewhere. These holes look like tank ordinance or rockets. A war was raged and like most wars nobody won."

"So they all died early on?"

"Yes love, I would say everyone around here died in the first year or so. Those not killed in the fighting would have fallen to the Zs as the soldiers and fighters all killed each other. Bloody stupid." Jack sighed. "So, there may be one or two about, other travellers like us that got turned around and trapped here. No food unless you can hunt the deer and their disinterest shows nobody has startled one recently."

"I need to potty" Hope nodded, rising and smoothing the huge clothing, then she groaned.

"Most things are gone but I do remember a clothing store. We can go check. If it was on plastic aye?" Stephen shrugged and Jack shrugged back.

"Eight years, doubt it but you never know. If it was in plastic maybe. Don't trust the store, look for their storage rooms out back. More likely to have been sealed and maybe still usable. Just make it quick, we are not here for a recon. We are here to turn around and go home." Jack reminded them sternly, then walked outside to pee in the snow and call home.

" _Cariad?"_

"Hey baby" Jack grinned, those warm vowels there as soon as he turned the walkie on, "We are all OK and going to eat then move. Will be home before dark, OK?"

" _I miss you"_

"Ahhhhh, I miss you too love. My feet are killing me and when I get back we will have a nice soak in the hot pools and then a snuggle, OK?" Jack crooned, "I want a BIG snuggle with hands and tongue."

The sound of roaring as Owen screamed with horror in the background made Jack grin as he knew they would all be listening and Ianto's soft laughter pleased him as he knew his Holdfast was not panicking anymore.

"Hope and Stephen are trying to loot the place. Gods, you should see it love. I'll take some shots, there were deer in here this morning. It's like one of those movies about the Titanic, you know with the cameras on the wee floating robots? It's like that. Eerie and silent. All overgrown and forgotten."

" _Sounds cold."_

"Yes my darling, it is very cold and we've been careful not to raise smoke. We've not seen sign of life anywhere but I know that means nothing." Jack said as he watched his daughter emerge and creep into the white powder to look around and then up at the dome of the mall. "it's glass love. Sort of like our dome isn't it. It was pretty, all coloured bulbs so at night it changed colours."

"Sad. Everything dies" she said and Jack smiled.

"Hope, that's not entirely true. In order to die, everything must live." Jack corrected and she turned to look at him, then saw the walkie.

"Taddy? You talking to Taddy?" she rushed over with her hands up looking every bit the child she still was and Jack handed it over with a kiss "Taddy, it is so pretty."

" _Hello bad girl. Has Dad put you over his knee yet?"_

She grinned at the playful tone of her Tad and knew she was forgiven, but would accept the punishment he probably already chosen for her, "Taddy, there were Deers. They were walking around like we were in their house, were we in their house?"

" _Yes love, we are all in their house now I guess"_

"How is Tum?" she asked, the name for her incoming sibling one Ianto was still adjusting to and he hesitated before answering.

" _Going crazy because it can hear you."_

"Tell her I am coming home, tell her I am sorry" she said happily, "I will have stories for bedtime."

" _You mean Rose?"_

"No silly, Autumn" she laughed, "Little sister. She likes the word Autumn. The colours I describe and the idea of everything completed. She is like you, likes things ticked off a list. I call her Autumn. My Tum."

Jack stood with awe as he learnt his new child was to be another little girl, one who already communed with her big sister and he grinned softly. She sounded like Ianto, another wee organizer and lover of beautiful things.

Poor wee Dean was going to be so pissed.

Another bossy girl.

[](https://postimages.org/)


	47. homeward bound

"Crates still sealed from shipping" Liam said excitedly as he and Stephen carried them down, "Look Uncle. Some clothes for Hope and Stephen found some baby things. Not much left, the place was pretty well ransacked but there were sealed shipping boxes out back, like you said."

Jack knelt and opened one, looking at the little squeaky toys still in plastic bags the crate had contained and he smiled, "OK, as much as you can carry then. Nothing too heavy or stupid. Things that can benefit us, I know...don't pout...OK. One useless thing, one pretty thing each OK? The rest to be responsible choices. And remember you have to carry what you choose."

They scattered and Kev tuned to Jack, "There is little left, it is like a wave washed it all away. It's good. Strange that I am comforted by this?"

"No, I am too" Jack placed a hand on his shoulder as they stood together, "The kids will not want to come back now they see it is all gone. They will tell the others it is all gone too. Lessen their ideas at the same time."

"Lucky they hadn't gone north" Kev whispered, "They could have found things still salvageable from the camps and internment centres that probably lasted until a couple of years ago."

"Or my worst fear, are still active" Jack agreed, then he nodded and stepped back as he heard someone approaching, "But it is all gone now. We can go home safe with the knowledge this area is no threat."

"Only one beautiful thing?" Tish asked and Kev turned to look at her hopeful face, his twisting as he knew he was about to break the rule Jack had just set but he was unable to say no to his queen.

"Show me what you found love, we will see" he crooned, following her eager skipping towards what had been the electronics store.

Jack smiled as he watched them go knowing Ianto hoped for a wedding there soon, would work on one for the spring and then he wondered if that would be too far away. Their touch was so intimate, their scents combining.

"You wondering if she is in pup?" Hope asked casually as she walked past with a potato peeler in her hand, no doubt going to ask one of the others what this weird thing was, "She is not, but she is in heat."

Jack blinked and then started to snigger at the wording. The children needed sex Ed alright, if only to understand there is not a litter on the tum, or a pup. You called it a baby. Then he realised Ianto did call them pups.

Well, they were all wild animals now I guess.

They were soon ready to move and Jack looked over at the huge pack Kev was struggling on and he looked back sheepishly as Jack grinned and shook his head, then lifted his own, careful not to juggle the toys too much.

Kev snorted as Jack grinned sheepishly as well, the unmistakable sound of a sheep's Baa sounding from the pack.

"One or two, huh?" Kev sniggered.

"Well, a lot of babies coming" Jack shrugged and Kev laughed with him as they headed up for the surface. Hope stood at the edge of the hole sniffing the wind, her face turned towards the sun and Jack was taken with her beauty.

Gods she will be a heart breaker.

Her head turned and he saw her eyes before she blinked, a golden glow around the irises that showed her heritage, then she smiled and he saw Alice.

"OK my love?" he called softly and she nodded taking off towards the other building where she saw rabbit tracks in the snow.

Jack hummed softly as they walked, the day warm and friendly as his little one scanned in a small parody of her Taddy and more than once she paused making everyone stop dead in their tracks, then start moving again.

Jack knew she was being overly cautious and more than once she was just playing but he did like the way the others all looked to her, even younger than them but already seen as someone in charge.

He followed her quietly to the ridgeline and they stopped, eating lunch as they scanned the area.

"Another two hours and we are home" Stephen said quietly, looking at his grandfather who grimaced as him as he knew what the young man was thinking.

Two more hours before they stand before Ianto.

This was not going to be pleasant.

.

.

.

FranArian...hush! You have really got good at reading me LOL


	48. scrabbling

Billy heard the scramble of claws as Frank left the lookout, sliding down the ladder by his claws and he turned to scold him for it when he realised something must have spooked him to make him do that, moving to look in the direction the weevil was crabbing with speed.

He couldn't see anything but knew the wee man's sense of smell was heightened so he lifted his rifle to use the scope, searching the tree line, then he saw movement and cursed softly.

Billy radioed it in, "Aunty Tosh? We have movement along the western ridge, looks like two or three."

"Checking" she replied and then a pause as he imagine her clicking cameras on and looking intently at screen saves, "Cameras are down. Weird. Be careful love."

"yes ma'am" he replied as he started to follow Frank, now worried about what the wee man might do with his need to protect thrumming.

Billy knew the others were heading towards him, Owen and Rhys moving with speed on the fastest Sno-Cat but he had calculated the speed the people were travelling as well and they were too close. The cameras down worried him too, was it just the wet? Or were these people hostile?

Billy watched the man walking along in front, a smaller figure all rugged up was clearly a woman and the child was complaining bitterly, and loudly. As Billy watched it became clear to him that this was a family and they were unaware they were anywhere near a village.

They sounded lost.

And scared.

Billy took a moment to click this back with Morse, his Tad's voice in his ear welcome and soothing, "What do you want to do darling?"

Billy clicked that he wanted to engage, warn them off. Without the level of security he liked, they were unknowns and he would rather not invite them in.

"The secondary cabin is not far away, you could send them there. Food, shelter. Neighbourly without letting them into our home" Ianto agreed, "It is still hot with surveillance, we could watch and decide when Dad gets home. It's up to you love. You are the one in the hot zone. Do you feel right about that?"

Billy clicked back that Frank was there somewhere as well and his Tad's soft curse came back then a deep sigh. "Just don't let him bite them. Little bugger is a biter remember."

Billy couldn't help but grin at the memory of those intruders and that crotch shark.

The man was close enough to speak to and Billy calmly stepped into the trail then watched as the man kept walking, not even looking up. Clearly not military as he didn't' sweep ahead at all.

"You can die doing that" Billy said softly. The man leapt and gave a soft yodel as he reared back to look at the man before him.

Billy was as tall as his fathers even without their DNA and he stood with the confidence they had given him. His dark hair needed a cut but he hadn't managed to get one lately much to Marley's embarrassment but in the softly falling snow as he stood in his blanket-like coat of furs he looked like a mountain man come down into the world of man. "Hi"

"Oh my god, you're real" the man said after he had calmed down, "Jesus wept. Where did you come from?"

"The direction I would rather you didn't go" Billy replied, "Look. You have a kid. I don't want to be inhospitable, especially with the storm blowing in tonight. If you head that way you will find a trail that leads to a cabin. It has food, water and firewood. You are welcome to spend a day or so recovering and letting the little one rest. If you abide by the agreement to stay there and not head in my direction I will leave you be. Just leave me be as well, yeah?"

As Billy spoke he saw Frank slide in behind the man, his little claws waving like jazz hands as he smelt him. "Don't move."

"Oh god, it's a wolf right? We heard them the last few nights. We've been following their call because wolves mean meat. Deer, right?" the man was reaching for his pocket and a small pistol appeared, Billy now on alert as he finally saw a weapon.

"Mister, if you don't' put that away I will put you down" Billy warned, "Please. Don't piss me off, or him."

"Daddy?" Billy looked farther back on the trail where the woman stood panting heavily, the child clasping her hand stood with wide eyes staring at Billy and the rifle he was pointing at its father.

"Frank, please love. Stand down, I have this" Billy asked with as much calm as he could.

The Weevils' answer was a low growl that was meaning and loud in the silently falling snow. The man turned slowly and his knees gave out as the nightmare snarled displaying all those teeth.

"Frank, that's enough. You'll scare the kid" Billy punted out then Frank moaned, stepping back and swinging around to look down the trail where the woman gasped with horror, even as the kid looked at Frank with open interest.

"Hello, I'm Dinky."

"I'm Billy and that's Frank" Billy replied, "Frank doesn't talk, his kind can't but he can communicate with Morse code and some sign language we worked out. He is called a weevil, they are creatures that live underground but Frank lost his mama when he was a baby so he lives with us. He is my friend and he is very nice when not pretending to eat you."

Dinky grinned and Frank grinned back, the child giggling as it saw no threat with that heart only a well loved child has.

"Please, follow me and I will show you the trail to some shelter. Settle, rest and in a couple of days I will visit with my parentals, my Tad is telling me to move as the storm is getting closer. We have to get your fire established or you will freeze."

"A real fire in a real house" the woman sighed, "Oh Ash, I bet there is lots of bedding too on a real bed. I've not slept in a real bed for months."

"A shower and bath too, if you wait for the water to heat" Billy promised "About two hours of a good fire and you can have hot water to bathe with."

The woman's sound of glee had Frank stepping back more, now accepting they were not an open threat. But he did follow silently, his eyes still watching the man intently.

A solider knows to stay alert. Uncle always said so.


	49. settling in

The sound of the Sno-Cat had them stopping as they reached the cabin and they turned to watch it approach, the man reaching for the woman's hand as they now showed fear. Billy remembered the things his parents had taught him, realised this showed the man was aware of the importance of this arrival which showed they had vehicles and were organised. He now knew they had more.

Owen stepped out onto the skid, followed by Rhys who was the first to touch the ground and walk towards them, his hand outstretched, "My name is Rhys and my nephew tells us you are no threat to our family."

"Ashton" the man replied, accepting the gesture, "My wife Melanie and our son Daryl although we seem to have been calling him Dinky so much he answers to that more. We came from London and have been wandering around out here stopping wherever we find shelter, we stay until we've used up what resources we have and then move on. We've not seen another person for almost two years, we were starting to think we were alone out here."

"No, you're not. We see other people all the time. This is quite a trail" Rhys sighed, "We are well hidden and sometimes we just let them slide past but this storm coming is nasty. We couldn't let you walk in that, plus you left the trail and were moving towards us. We were not sure if you were lost or hostile. We've had hostiles before."

"Lost" Ashton shrugged, "I've gotten better at reading the compass, we hardly ever find our own footprints now."

The soft snort of his wife told them this had happened more than once.

"How did you get out?" Owen finally spoke and the London twang had Melanie smiling at a fellow cockney as she answered.

"We were on a camping trip, a school trip. When it all started I wanted to go to me parents who were in a retirement village so we left the main group who were heading back to the city. Originally we had another family with us but they left us that first winter. We've met people and it just never seemed to stick, ya know? This is a new world and we are like an endangered species or something. We saw less and less until it seemed to stop being live ones all together."

"So you were following the wolves?" Owen asked and they nodded, "Last three nights they've called us. We've followed. It was like they were leading us, seemed to be watching us but I could never see them."

"They live in a cave system near us, probably saw you over a week ago and have been monitoring, they pretty much keep to themselves." Rhys said as Ianto whispered in his ear what to say, "They are pretty protective though. If you had come too close the pack might have challenged you. Not good for any of us. They don't come here though, this is a neutral spot. Please don't hunt in this area, they control it. There is plenty of food and after the storm eases we will come back with some more supplies for you but what is in there now I over a week's worth. Also, we have some fresh stuff with us too."

Owen stepped to one side as Frank bustled past with a bag from the Sno-Cat, like a little boy carrying in the groceries for his mom.

"That's a good boy" Owen crooned, "Thank you son. Just put it on the table love, they can unpack them. Eggs and stuff there that's fresh. Frank, don't forget the bucket of milk sweetie."

Frank muttered a weird sound and Owen snorted, "Oi! Are you sassing me?"

Frank snorted.

"Little shit, you wait until we get home. You will earn yourself a tickle fest if you keep that up!" Owen mock threatened and Frank snorted again, this time carrying the little bucket with a lid on. "Milk in there freshly squeezed. Won't even need to go in the fridge. Sit it on the porch buddy, they will take it in before it freezes. Good boy, go wait for us and Uncle Rhys might let you sit in his lap and help drive home, yeh?"

Frank excitedly crabbed to the vehicle and clambered in, sitting in the seat and hooting impatiently.

"You've done it now, wee bugger wants to drive. Awwwwwww" Rhys said with glee as he walked over to claim his seat.

"If you hear the wolves out here tonight don't open the door. They won't come in, they will just be getting your scent and looking at you. There are no dangers out here tonight, the wildlife are friends and as long as you stay in the cabin you will be safe. No Zs about either." Billy asked.

"Zs" the man repeated, "Walkers? You call them Zs?"

"Z for Zombie, yeah" Billy nodded, "We have lookouts and we monitor closely, sweep any that come too close. Not seen one in a while but that means nothing. As long as there are people, there will be Zs. A by-product of our stupidity."

"I agree with that" Melanie huffed, "We brought this on ourselves. These winters are out fault too. Poor mother earth."

"We believe the same" Owen said, then motioned to Billy, "We will leave you now, just rest and take some time to relax."

Frank hooted loudly out the door of the Cat and Owen answered as they walked towards him, "Alright ya mad monkey. Shit on a stick you are as bossy as your Mama!"

Rhys had sat and the wee man was in his lap jiggling as his claws wrapped around the control sticks for the tracks, his face fill of glee ... as much as a weevil can show.

Rhys started the cat up and with his feet he controlled the speed, letting the wee man steer and they gracefully moved across the expanse that lead around the trees and towards home, Frank clever enough not to move in a straight line.

Billy looked back and saw the door closing, pleased they were not following.

His Dad would be back soon, then the Grups would talk and they would decide about these ones.

Billy also knew he would sit at that table.

A Grup now too.


	50. returning to the fold

"I just don't know" Art said as he looked around the table, Ianto holding the sleeping baby against him as he rocked in the corner.

"Well I spoke with them saw and smelt them up close. I feel it is more a matter of luck than skill that got them here. Ash seems confident enough but also a bit needy. I get the feeling they latch into each group they meet and outstay their welcome or the group splinters so they move on. The little one showed no fear, is used to strangers appearing." Billy supplied.

"Also they said they were on a school camp but their child only looks about four? Five? Where is the child from the camp?" Ianto asked, everyone silencing as they turned to stare at him, "They talked of other families, but not their other kid?"

"Shit" Ifan huffed, "The boy is right. There might be a second group still out there."

"Jack is in range, he could skirt around and check while the others continue home?" Tosh said after considering, "Hope can lead them confidently. Kev will sweep the rear. I think Jack needs to know."

"Agreed" everyone nodded, and they watched Tosh pick up her PDA to call the coms link up, Jack's voice soon filing the room, and Ianto's heart wig warmth.

" _Billy seems confident?"_

"Yes Dad, I didn't think it was an act. I think they are genuinely just lucky" Billy answered and Jack puffed down the line for a while as he considered.

" _Well, Hope agrees with you. Babe?"_

"Yes" Ianto said softly so as not to wake the sleeping girl on his chest, "This is Billy's call this time and I believe he is doing the right thing."

" _But?"_

"I still want reassurance there is not a second crew. I wish I could go check but I am not going to risk it. Please be careful Cariad" Ianto smiled as he heard a chuckle.

" _What, gonna pretend to care with others listening are ya?" Jack played, "Make sure they don't know the abuse I have to suffer at your hands."_

"Well it's not just me hands you like" Ianto bantered back and Jack roared with mirth, the sound making the speakers shake.

" _OK Holdfast, I am almost there, I have their tracks. I am following to the bridge with the binoculars. No, the tracks head off into the expanse and there are clearly three sets. If there were a secondary group they would not be so far back that they couldn't communicate. No. Huh? Hang on Tish is_ _blathering at me with Stephen. Oi! You do blather woman, Kev control ya mad mare there she's blathering at...ow...stop...stop hitting me with rocks, bugger off! Hope lead them away love"_

Ianto snorted softly, "Cariad?"

" _Sorry, er momentary disturbance in the force. Ah. Stephen is sending up a drone to check the area, smart wee bastard. I didn't even know he had one." Jack laughed, "Will get back in a few minutes with an update. Sending the team to you now, me and my drone will wander that way. Love you."_

"Love you too" Ianto smiled happily as the coms went into standby mode. Ianto knew Jack had gestured with his arm while speaking, not realising the others wouldn't know he was indicating that he was walking the perimeter of the dome, only Ianto's bond feeling the motion as if he were standing next to him.

"Well?" Tosh asked Ianto, "Gut?"

"They are safe" Ianto replied, "First child or children gone."

"I think so too" she nodded, "They seemed too calm. Also, seems more likely they would have a more elaborate story if they were masterminds."

" _Taddy, we are at the dome" Hope interrupted their musings as her coms cut in, "Entering now."_

"Right down here to me young lady" Ianto growled and everyone looked uncomfortable as the mood of the room changed, wee Rose waking to whimper as Ianto soothed, forgetting for a moment as his anger thrummed.

They entered and lined up, more than one staring at Billy with shock as he rose from his seat at the table to glare at them along with the other Grups.

"So, Hope you better come over here and give Tad a hug" Billy finally spoke, "He's been sick with worry over you. Not good for the baby at all, all this shit going on and if you lot had told me what you were planning I would have reminded you of that not so insignificant fact."

"We knew you would talk us out of it" Stephen answered with a grimace, "We wanted to see."

"Well? Was it worth it?" Billy asked, "Us left with less security, a possible threat in from the other direction that had a weevil as my backup?"

Silence.

"Poppy?" Billy turned from them to watch Hope reach their father, her hand stroking the little head of their sister as she leaned in to touch noses and Rose cooed happily as she recognised her.

"The boy is right, you all need a kick up the arse for this. Ianto hasn't eaten or slept with worry over you ungrateful shits. If I had to punish you right now it would be overkill so I suggest you all go get warmed up and fed. Your grandmother will smack your ears for me while I calm down. Go on. Get!" Ifan roared also giving them an exit as the coms crackled to show Jack was opening them again.

" _No one else out here guys. I'm heading in, the drone will come ahead of me so don't shoot it down, Owen will want this one. It's a helicopter."_

Owen hooted, sounding like Frank as he rose, Ianto's face softening as Hope leaned in to whisperer to his stomach "Hello in there. Sorry I had to go but they needed to come back. It's all OK now. You can rest now. I'm home. We are all OK."

Ianto felt the flittering stop and stroked her face gently, "Better now. Thank you love."

"They will be a real problem in time" she said with a frown, "They egg each other on ya know."

She turned to walk over to her great-grandfather for a hug and Ianto patted his gut as he agreed.

The twins were going to stir things up for sure.


	51. it's a yes from me

Ianto wanted a better look but respected Jack's wishes by standing back by the Sno-Cat as he watched Jack stride forward with Billy, entering the front yard of the cabin and calling out.

The snow had fallen hard during the night, the storm quick but fierce and the man that opened the door looked nervous but then smiled as he saw Billy.

"Hi there, this is my Dad" Billy said as he turned to point at Jack, "We just want to make sure you guys didn't freeze to death in the night."

Ashton laughed as he assured them that the firewood had been welcome as well as the hot bathwater. "I thought Dinky was going to sleep in there, we had to drag him out when he pruned."

"I bet that was a surprise" Billy laughed.

"He started to cry, thought he had aged and was an old man" Ashton nodded, "Funny things, kids."

"Tell me about it" Jack agreed, "I have several, the trick is to count to ten in your head ...a lot."

"Ashton grinned some more, "Call me Ash."

"Well Ash, what were you before you became a survivor?" Jack asked without preamble.

Ashton blinked and then nodded, realising he was being interviewed for something, "Well believe it or not I was a professor. Taught nuclear physics. Crap now but at least I know areas to avoid due to possible nuclear failure in the works. A big worry, unmonitored stations that might meltdown."

"Yes, something that was a worry to us as well" Jack nodded, glancing at Ianto who had moved closer as they both thought of the heating problems in the upper levels. "You do any engineering as well?"

"Yeah, my dad was a plumber actually" Ashton blinked as he frowned at the weird question and Ianto made a small noise, alerting Jack to something and he turned to him again. This time Ashton saw Ianto flicking his fingers at his hip and realised it looked the same as what the little creature was doing the day before. They were communicating with a secret language.

Jack turned to Ashton and glanced at the door of the cabin, "And your wife? What about her?"

"Homemaker" he said with dread, suddenly wishing there was more to offer but for some reason Jack grinned and relaxed. _He liked that?_

"There are more of us, some with fiddly jobs but we always need more people willing to look after kids, help with the cooking or cleaning and muck in." Ianto's voice was soft and Ashton looked at him with shock.

"You're Welsh!"

"Well, you know you are not the first to say that" Ianto canted his head, "Weird huh?"

Ashton found himself laughing at the dry humour of the quiet man watching from the side, then he saw Frank sliding around the Sno-Cat to stand by Ianto who looked surprised and then rolled his eyes as he reached out to pat his little shoulder "I told you I was fine, me wee bodyguard."

Frank growled softly and leaned against him as he watched Ashton and Jack, Billy walking towards the cabin ignoring them all, "Hey Dinky?"

A wee head popped around the doorframe, followed by his mother who clutched at him to stop him running out. Billy smiled, not insulted by this as they had every right to be cautious.

"I'm leaving you a few toys here on the stoop, OK?" Billy sad to the wee fella, "I know how boring it can be in a cabin, we lived in one by a lake for a while and the winter sucked the big one. Just a colouring book, some colouring pens and a few wee cars and stuff. OK?"

Billy placed a small container like an ice-cream one on the pouch and winked, then two colouring books sat on top before moving back to stand by his father. He watched the little boy struggle from his mama's grip to shoot out and seize them with glee, then race inside.

The hoots of glee made him smile and Ashton swung from Jack as he realised Billy had flanked him, his shock evident.

Definitely not a soldier.

"He is quite sweet isn't he, reminds me of my baby brother" Billy smiled as he casually walked around Ashton to approach his Tad, "He looks like he needs a better woolly jersey though."

" _We should go through the knitting shelf for one, I think there is a nice one with a dog on it isn't there? Remember Granny Frannie knitted it and there was such a fight none of them were allowed it?"_ Billy signed to his Tad.

" _Yes love but if we accept them into the village and he arrives in it they will hang him from the highest beam"_ Ianto replied and Billy roared with mirth, throwing his head back as Frank swung to address the problem as well.

" _I want that one, I have that mask to match and was waiting to steal it before the next dress-up day."_

"Frank, you little bugger. Really?" Billy spoke out loud, then laughed again, "Ok, not that one then. Gods, you are a shit. I will find another."

"The strawberry one?" Ianto canted his head, "Or one with little paw prints, remember she spent ages on that one."

"I had forgotten Taddy, yes that is still in there" Billy smiled lovingly, "I'll look."

Ianto reached out to hug his son and Ashton turned to Jack. "Dad and Taddy. You are a couple?"

"We are a family" Jack bristled, "He is my heart. My Holdfast, my very next breath."

"Oh how lovely" Melanie said from the doorway, "You are both too young to have a son this old, you found him and raised him too?"

Ah.

Ianto smiled softly as his instincts were proven. They had 'acquired' Dinky. Their own child was gone.

For some reason, seeing their little family unit made Ianto happy. Maybe it was the hormones, the influence from the bubs listening or just the fact he was a good man with a huge heart but Ianto turned to Jack and signalled his acceptance.

Jack's slight nod back was of agreement.

Pending Tosh's decision as she reviewed the surveillance this family were going into the pack.

Gods help them.


	52. Letting them crow a little

Ianto was overheating in the huge coat and was relieved to slide it off once they were in the Car Pool.

"Christ almighty, you've really dropped" Rhys sputtered as he looked at Ianto's obvious bump. "When are you due?"

Ianto glanced at Jack who was still picking up the coat, oblivious to the impending double trouble as he answered "I am due in four months. I look so big because my little girl hugs her bother to her so much."

Jack stalled then rose and gaped at him, then down at the bump.

"Really?" Rhys said with delight, "Twins? You having twins? Holy mother of hell, what the hell are we going to do with two of them ....god, I just got that image of that Stephen King movie The Shining. Those twins in the hallway. Creepy. Thank god they are one of each then. Will have that creepy link thing you and your kids have right? Spooky and definitely going to be trouble."

"Did you just compare my impending babies to a horror movie?" Jack spluttered, "What? Creepy?"

"Come on, imagine a wee Hope and a wee Dean together, united in their plans" Kev laughed as he leaned against the Sno-Cat "Wow. I gotta tell someone, I can't believe it. Twins. We've not had those before. Awwwwww, cute. I wonder what we will call them."

"We?" Jack blinked, then looked at Ianto as Kev shot off up the tunnel to find his queen, full of excitement "Babe? What does he mean by We?"

"I think he is saying that these ones will be everyone's and we will be lucky to get a word in" Ianto grinned as Jack finally let the news sink in and his face lit up.

"Twins" Jack breathed, "How long have you known?"

"About as long as our daughter who has been careful not to crow about it" Ianto laughed softly, letting Jack take his hand and lead him to the Family Place where the news was going around the room like wild fire.

"Really?" Ifan demanded of his grandson, "Twins?"

"Yes, one of each" Ianto answered happily, "Why I've popped out. They are trying to lay together in a cuddle today."

As expected everyone awed and rushed to look, Ianto giving in to raise his tunic and they could see the bump went from hip to hip.

Ianto sat and allowed a rare touch-fest, accepting a red concoction from his grandmother and sipping it then groaning as he realised it was fresh blood from a kill that was still warm.

"Oh gods, that's perfect" he sighed, leaning back as he drank some more, hands now freely exploring the wee bumps and pits, "That's a foot."

"Oh wow" Sean breathed with wonder as he felt a small bump by Ianto's hip, "Really?"

"His" Ianto confirmed, "She's on top of him now, wait."

Sean laid his hand there and looked up into his brother's face, then started to laugh as he felt a butterfly against his palm, "Her foot?"

"Yeah, she's a kicky beast" Ianto laughed back, "He's so accepting, poor little pup."

"Wow, we need to reconsider the wee cribs we have aside, maybe we should repaint two of them so they have time to ..." Ebony started to gush but Ianto waved a hand distractedly as he watched the door for his grandmother's return with a second cup of elixir.

"They will want to stay together, you need to build a large one for two" Ianto corrected her, "They already hold one another for comfort. I want them to have that still."

"Oh that sounds lovely, I could really make it unique" Bonny said as Micha rolled forward to have a turn, her beloved smiling down at her as he encouraged her to lean forward. Ianto was delighted to see her range of movement had improved as she lifted her feet off the footrests to move herself to the sedge of her sat and touch, "Oh! I have a head?"

"A bum actually" Ianto smiled "Your cousin likes to poke his bum out like his Daddy."

"Do not!" Jack pouted, poking his bum out as he popped a hip and they all laughed.

Anna returned with Mini Kev in tow and Ianto lit up as he reached for the cup and hummed, drinking more. "Thanks Nainny."

"What's in there?" Juniper asked.

"Blood" Ianto was truthful as always, "I need the iron for the pups, they take so much from me. Two will be harder than the usual one."

"Shit, I hadn't thought of that" Jack said softly, "You need more."

"Poppy is doing several kills over the next few weeks, I will just have to hang about like a bloody vampire" Ianto laughed, then saw a conversation starting over in the corner, "What is it Mathew? Vic?"

"Well, there are some sheep from the other village due to a cull, we were going to wait until the thaw to move them from the barns but we were saying we could move them to the underground farm now and then kill one a week over the next few months. We were just counting how many head to cull, I was thinking about the spring lambs coming. We can easily afford that and the meat will be good with the little ones. They seem to be sprouting at such a rate."

"Sound great, really? We can afford that much stock loss?" Ianto asked with interest.

"Sure, also a cattle beast every month and we are cooking with gasoline" Vic smiled, "The wee ones need it, we need to cull before all the new ones come as we really need to keep the numbers constant until we've cleared that southern field we need. We just need to keep culling the pigs over there because the kids can't stand to see that with their wee pet ones everywhere."

Ianto couldn't help but smack his lips as Jack looked at them with silent gratitude.

These twins were already being spoilt rotten.


	53. Hurling insults

"I'm gonna hurl" Liam wailed as he struggled with the bucket and Stephen glared at him silently, unfortunately also too late as Jack huffed.

"Then you can clean the hide too" Jack said, "This cowhide will be perfect for the twins, look at the black and white markings."

"Uncle, there are so many...." Liam started and let it peter out as Jack turned to face him, a smear of blood on his cheek from the kill as he swung the axe he had been cutting through the back bone with.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, that jersey cow would be prettier, especially with the wooden floors" Liam struggled to save himself as Jack glowered.

"I'll do it" Paige sighed, "If I can get out of the shit now?"

"Thank you Paige" Jack said calmly, his face not showing any emotion but Liam knew the shit level for him was rising by the second. His brain had just caught up to the fact he had said no to doing something for the twins.

Shit.

Level.

Rising.

Travis had decided to remain silent, the best action as he had been given the least shitty job because the others had complained and made things worse for themselves. He helped Paige lift the hide to the rack and started to tack it for her as she went over the scrapers, knowing the fat and remaining flesh had to be removed while the hide was still fresh. It cured better that way.

Liam slipped, landing in a splash of putrid innards as Jack cured, "Shit, ya just burst the gut."

"What?" Liam looked up and then the horror hit as the smell filled the air.

"Cows have four stomachs, you try not to pierce them but that one there is the worst" Jack said as he backed away, the mud sloshing around his boots, "I hope you aren't wearing anything you liked because you will have to take it all off before you can go to the hot pools. You can't even pass through the corridors with that on you, Ianto will have your guts for garters. Guts. Huh heh heh."

"Oh hell" Paige sighed, "I'll go get you something to cover yourself and a bucket of hot soapy water to wash the worst off. You did have to do that, didn't you!"

"It wasn't deliberate!" Liam roared, then sighed as he looked down at the putrid mess.

"Uncle" Paige said in a small voice, "I'm gonna spew too."

"Go on Paige, you may leave" Jack waved his hand, the axe in it flicking viscera across at Travis who stepped to one side so it splattered on the wall.

"I have your new name" Liam hissed at him, "Teflon!"

"What was that Smelly?" Jack asked distractedly and Liam snorted.

"I have yours now" Travis replied with a sniff, then a grimace, "Smelly."

"Arsehole!"

"Oi!" Ifan roared, looked up from the beast he was cutting into, "Keep that up and you will be doing this next week too, actually it might be a good idea if you all do it next week anyway, dressing meat is an important skill to have, dressing a kill in the wild can mean the time between getting home before dusk and a night in the black."

"Well said Ifan" Jack nodded, "Ianto could skin a deer in five minutes or less, dress it and pack it for carrying out within half an hour."

"Yeah, but he's not human!" Travis sorted, then yelped as Stephen's fist connected with the side of his head and he fell into Liam's mess.

"How dare you say that about my GrandTad Ianto" Stephen roared, "You fucking take that back!"

Jack and Ifan gasped as Stephen bent down and seized his friend by his shirt, raising him to punch him again, "You wanna say something about MY GrandTad Ianto I will fucking kill you!"

Jack and Ifan finally shook off their shock to grab Stephen as he went to kick Travis' feet out from under him, dragging him back as Travis bent over spitting out blood.

"Take it back!" Stephen demanded as he stood defiantly folding his arms, mimicking his Granddad who was now watching with silent approval.

"What's happened?" Anna had returned with Paige who stood with open horror as she looked at the mess, "Husband?"

"This one said something about our boy that invoked a response before Jack could defend him himself" Ifan said with pride, "This is definitely our great-grandson this one. Isn't he wonderful? Defending Ianto when he can't be here to defend himself."

"I didn't mean it like that!" Travis wailed, "I mean that he is like a fucking superman!"

"Then you should have said that, not that he's not human!" Stephen roared, "He's wonderful and has more heart than anyone else in this fucked up universe!"

"Steady now love" Jack felt his chest expanding with affection as his Holdfast was defended with such passion, "I don't think he meant it as a derogatory thing."

"No, we'll see he doesn't mean anything again" Stephen said as he frowned down at Travis, "This was all your idea. You were the big smartarse that planned all of this and look where we are now. In the shit! Literally."

Ifan huffed with satisfaction as the ringleader was finally what he deserved to be.

Repentant.


	54. Burn n Tum

Ianto was asleep, Jack taking the time to make a mental image of the beauty in his mate before he entered and startled him awake, "Cariad?"

"Sorry love I didn't mean to wake you" Jack said softly, seeing Dean asleep with Frank on the other side of the bed, "When did they creep in?"

"Frank came to ask me if they could play dress-ups and they fell asleep. Sweet" Ianto smiled.

"No Bella?"

"No, seems she is busy with Hope on some mission of mercy for the piglets" Ianto was smiling so Jack was not concerned, "It seems that our girls are worried that one of their pet ones had gone to the works barn by mistake. They are head counting. They will discover that they actually have one more not one less as a certain Weevil who shall remain nameless found the wee black runt too cute to leave behind last time he was there and a certain old man lets him away with such things."

"Awww" Jack smiled as he knelt to touch the belly being uncovered for him, "And my little princess?"

"Francine" Ianto sighed, "I barely got a cuddle today."

"Does seem to be a village raising our children" Jack smiled as he felt movement, "Hello pumpkins."

"Autumn and Auburn" Ianto corrected, "I finally heard him whispering with Deano earlier, I think he is defiantly saying Auburn."

"For a boy?"

"It's his choice Cariad" Ianto reminded, "All our pups chose or themselves, so aware of themselves from the beginning of things."

"I see her in my mind's eye. Running in a field of daises, her hair is that deep dark red, almost a plum. I don't know why, maybe because you are drinking that blood instead of eating raw meat like normal but red is in my mind."

"They will be" Ianto sighed, "I see that too. I think they are red heads. Sean is a redhead, keeps it so short it looks blonde with the sun kissing it but here in the dark you can see the golden glow about his head right? Not the ginger you think, that lovely auburn colour, deep and warm."

"Auburn" Jack repeated, "Bernie."

"Stop it!" Ianto scolded, "Don't you dare start."

"What?" Jack asked with big eyes, "Tummy and Burn?"

"Well, the heartburn is there, Tum and Burn seems appropriate I guess" Ianto snorted then his face softened as Jack reached out to place his hand on the bump once more, feeling a rush of amusement shoot up his arm and he gasped with shock.

"Tum and Burn." Ianto whispered, "Really? You like that? Yeah? My wee mandems?"

Jack was so excited to learn that his nickname had been accepted that he surged forward to seize Ianto's face, kissing him and the pouting, "If only they were not there in the bed."

"Doesn't mean we have to be here with them" Ianto replied softly, "come, show me the birthing pool you have created in the other room, maybe the water will calm them inside."

Jack perked up as he helped Ianto from the bed and they headed across the large room to the smaller one with the pool all set up, the water warm as it sat on the heated floor. Jack had put a lot of time into it, digging a pit so Ianto could easily step in and the water could be emptied with a series of pipes and a small pump. Ianto was incredibly touched by the loving thought and care that had gone into this, his desire for a water birth heard and actioned without fanfare.

Ianto slid into the water and watched Jack undress to follow, hands and gentle kisses soothing as Ianto sighed and settled against him.

"Guess what?" Jack whispered as he gently tugged at Ianto's' waking dick while sliding behind him to craddle him in the water.

"Hmmmm?"

"Waterproof lube"

Ianto laughed softly as he learned Jack had REALLY been thinking about this and then his laughter died as he was breached by a finger, all thought fleeing as he let his head fall back against Jack's shoulder grunting through the pleasure/pan of being prepared.

"Do you think they will mind us rutting?" Jack was suddenly worried about the babies and again Ianto was touched as he assured him they would only feel the love flowing in the heat of their coupling.

Jack lifted Ianto and he slowly slid down onto Jack with a low groan of pleasure, the fullness of him a comfort and they rocked gently causing waves in the tub that sloshed over the edge happily and Ianto struggled to find purchase, rising to fall once more with a breathy cry of lust. Then Ianto pulled away, turning the water to face Jack and climbing back into his lap, straddling him as Jack grinned with a cheeky glint in his eye, able to cup that lovely arse even as his babies pressed against him.

Jack couldn't stand to see such beauty and seized Ianto's hips to help, a rhythm sooth achieved as they both granted and moaned, caught in a trancelike state as Ianto leaned back to let the babies had space, Jack moving his hands from his hips to his shoulders to help hold him.

Ianto blissed out, his lips curling back into a silent snarl as he came, Jack so enamoured that his own orgasm struck without warning and he felt like he was in an incredibly violent car wreak for a wonderfully long time.

They panted in the water as Jack rubbed Ianto's back and let him nuzzle and nip.

"Fuck" Ianto finally muttered as he went limp and Jack could only chuff as his after-throes continued.

This place would now have a wonderful glow, a place of positivity when the time came.

Ianto nervously waited now.

Tum and Burn would come in their own time.


	55. hide and...run

"Well who's idea was it to bloody play Hide and seek anyway" Dean muttered as he and Frank stomped along, heading for the only one who could help them now.

"Taddy?" Dean called out, "Are you busy?"

"What's up Deano?" Ianto called back as he exited the birthing room, "You look a bit worried there love."

"Raven is hiding and none of us can bloody find him" Dean huffed, then rolled his eyes as Frank moaned softly at him, "Yeah, yeah. I know, potty mouth. Sorry Bubbas."

They don't mind, Uncle Owie was here earlier so they are well ready" Ianto smiled softly, "What do you mean, you can't find him?"

We found everyone else but him, Mama Ebby doesn't know either. Remember that time he was hiding in her skirts? She's not wearing any today" Dean explained, "I tried to ask Hope but she is having a fight with Olivia. I think we will have to separate them soon."

"Oh dear, I hope she doesn't bite her again" Ianto grimaced as he slipped his swollen feet into the lovely soft lambskin slippers someone had left for him, so nice to be cared for.

"Come on" Dean said to Frank, "Bella said she would help, right?"

Frank growled softly and waved his clawed hand, Dean laughing, "Oh yeah I forgot. Marley is doing her hair into cornrows today. DUH!"

Well, looks like us then" Ianto smiled, "Come on, it's time you learnt to scent anyway."

As natural as Hope was with her tracking, Dean seemed to be lacking and Ianto knew it annoyed him no end that she was better, rubbing his nose in it all the time as siblings do.

They wandered along the large tunnel to where they had last seen him before they started hiding and Ianto could scent him straight away but let his son do the work, leading them down the darkening tunnel as Ianto started to feel more uneasy.

"Darling, Raven is only little. Did he have a torch or something?" Ianto asked and he watched Frank scuttle ahead with his crablike run, his arms out front as he disappeared into the darkness.

Ianto walked further and then stopped his son, scenting the air as he started to feel uneasy. "Frankie?"

No response.

Ianto felt really uneasy now and he scented the air again, this time the smell was worse and he wondered if the wolf pack had dragged a carcass into the drift to eat later, the rotting flesh was...

Ianto swung and seized his son's shoulders as he leaned in and looked him in the eye, "Go tell Daddy I have a code red. OK?"

Ianto watched his son until he disappeared around the corner, confident that he was not going to turn back and he turned again, this time clicking his tongue into the darkness, then listening for a response.

He was relieved when a click came back.

Frank was close and had Raven.

Ianto clicked again and another response told him Raven was OK, just scared.

Ianto slid along the wall, seeking the children and found them as the scent of urine led him to the terrified little boy who was clinging to Frank for comfort. Ianto gathered the little one to him, kissing his face and wiping his tears away as he reassured him silently. The torch was off, clever baby had remembered the rules and Ianto pushed him gently at Frank who led him back towards the light, looking back in silent question at one of his favourite people in the whole Verse.

Ianto nodded and waved him away, turning back to watch that they had not been scented and once he was sure they had travelled far enough, he left his post and followed them back to the light.

Jack was there, along with several others and Ebony fell to her knees to gather her little son into her arms, the little fellow now openly sobbing as he clung to her with wide eyes. His first Zs and they were something he would never forget.

"Bad people were eating the wolfie" he sobbed, "They were making gobbly noises like Dadda with the cherry pie."

"Shit" Boomer said softly as he reached around his wife to grab his son, pulling him up into his arms and he soothed him as he whispered how proud he was of his brave big boy. No one pointed out the wet trousers.

"I counted eight" Ianto said softly, "Three adult wolves down and the two cubs. The others must have run when they were discovered but the new mother was feeding her young and didn't stand a chance. I assume the other two were trying to protect her and the young."

"Jesus" Boomer huffed as he looked to Kev.

"We can't just hope they go away, we need to know how the hell they got here" Jack said with a frown, "Frank, you and Dean go back and warn the others please. No children down this tunnel system"

"Yes Taddy" Dean said obediently as Frank held out his hand and Dean slid his into it without a second thought and they walked back to the main section where a second team stood calmly. Dean would tell them what had happened and soon more would come down the tunnel to see what to do.

"Ianto, you are with child love...with children" Jack grinned, "Go comfort the ones we have already and assure everyone that we are clearing the tunnel."

"I also want to know how they got past the bloody sensors" Ianto growled, "I will go see Tosh. I have a horrible feeling they didn't get those battery packs changed like I asked."

"Ah shit" Jack frowned, knowing the 'away' team had another load of shit to shovel if they had forgotten their weekly tasks as well. But then, that was not like Stephen at all and he wondered if there was something more worrying happening out there in the white.

He then turned and led the team down the tunnel towards the Zs.


	56. Clean up aisle three

Jack looked over the edge of the ledge down on the Zs feasting below and felt ill at the thought of Ianto seeing the poor wolves getting torn apart.

The twins had Ianto more hormonal than the other two children he had borne and Jack thought to his own offering and knew his pains and discomforts paled compared to what Ianto was now enduring for their next generation of beasties.

Strong, lovely beasties.

Jack sighed and leaned back to let Kev see and he grunted softly as he acknowledged the unspoken curse that they all shared in a group glare, Rhys and Vic doing rock paper scissors as Kev rolled his eye and shouldered his gun, pulling his knife form his boot and motioning at Jack who did the same.

By the time Rhys and Vic realised they had been left behind the other two were half way down the rock face and entering Z-Land.

Rhys watched with awe as Kev moved, his actions almost as fluid as Ianto's and it finally occurred to him that the stupid 'old man dancing' they had been doing was actually some form of martial arts. Ianto had been teaching Kev some moves, and by the gods he could move.

Jack moved in the other direction and Rhys quickly clambered down as Vic followed meekly, pissed at being last when moments ago they had been arguing about who would be first.

Not a single shot was wasted, hand to hand doing the job and as they looked at the disgusting mess Jack sighed and motioned for them to drag them outside.

"What about the wolves?" Kev asked sadly.

"What's left, yeah" Jack sighed, "But in another pile. The pack may return to pay respects before finding a new den, they will not live here now. Ianto will miss them, he liked them near."

What about that old camper that's fucked then" Rhys blurted, "We drag it over there in that copse of trees, it was yours and Ianto's right? From the lake, it will stink of him to them. They might like that, all nice and cosy. Their own wee house. We will just cut the screen out of the lower half of the door?"

"Rhys, you are thinking today my man" Kev slapped him on the shoulder "Good thinking. Far enough that they will feel safe but close enough that Ianto can still watch them."

Jack walked over to a sensor and tapped it, alarmed when it came away in his hand and he saw the batteries inside had been freshly swapped, the markings telling him so as each set changed. Damn.

"Looks like the cold froze the circuits" he called back and Kev crouched to look at what Jack was picking up out of the snow.

"It fell apart?"

"When I touched it, frozen and then thawed. Brittle" Jack answered, "We've never had such severe temperatures before. This might have affected all of them, damn it. Anything outside the domes is to be considered untrustworthy until we can check and replace."

"And Ianto?"

"Will have already worked it out, probably had before he left us in the tunnel system, why he was seeking Tosh to confirm." Jack shook his head, "He will want to do a line check, we need to stop that as his desire to protect is so strong. The babies are making him a little crazy. He even growled at me this morning when I went to collect the baby from the bed where he was cuddling her. Scared the shit out if me before I remembered he would rather pull his teeth out with pliers than bite me. It upset him too know he calmed down."

"So ... not an ideal time to piss him off. Check" Rhys muttered.

"At least we can confirm the kids changed the packs, this was equipment failure" Vic agreed, "Those kids are still in the dog house with him as it is, they daren't break wind around him."

Jack went in search of his mate and found him in the corner of the Family Place, all the big bean bags and cushions piled up with him in them and so many children stuffed around him it was a wonder he could breathe. Rose was stroking his neck lovingly as Hope stood to one side.

"Hey poppet" Jack crooned leaning in for a kiss.

"You used to call me rosebud."

Jack froze, his lips almost to their target.

"Now she is your Rose" she sighed, "I am growing up so fast, I know. These little ones need some food I think."

Jack continued with the kiss.

"Baby, you are my Rosebud, always. She is my Rose." Jack said softly, "To different things. A Rose is sweet and soft, Gentle. A Rosebud is full of promise, intent and a little mystery. Could be perfect, could be flawed or suddenly change colour ... be compact or just explode. You are different in so many ways. The Rosebud is the promise. The Rose is the payment. See? I named her for you. You who will lead her, teach her and one day stand between her and danger."

"And Dean and Billy?"

"Ah, easy" Jack grinned, "They are the thorns pricking away and drawing blood. Protecting the delicate flowers even as they reach higher than imaginable."

Hope turned her head to stare long and hard at her father, then her face split into a grin, "Oh Daddy, you are so silly. I protect them. Not the other way around. But only until the twins are old enough. Then there will be ample protection for everyone."

"You feel them too?" Jack gushed happily, "So sweet."

"Wolfling, like me" she nodded, "They will be fierce. We will protect and daddy?"

"Yes love?"

We will all bite."

Jack didn't doubt that for a second, watching his daughter walk away with the grace of a woman, even though she was still a mere child to other people.

They didn't understand what Jack already knew.

She was a Wolf.

Not bad.

Not good.

Just deadly.

All his babies were.

And his Boeshane blood surged with pride as his own killer tendencies revelled in the knowledge.

He turned to walk away and heard it, faint but there.

The laughter so faint and yet so endearing as the twins joined the bond.

Jack went back to work.


	57. Hormones and temper

Tosh had been disappointed to learn of the failure of the sensors and after some discussion it was decided that the domes would be extended and only the caving systems would be fully monitored.

The trap lines would be checked daily and this would have to serve as enough in the outer reaches. She was unhappy and did something she knew would anger the others but she went to Ianto to see if he agreed, knowing he had not known there was a meeting.

"So I didn't get a say?" Ianto asked as he entered the room, everyone still trying to work out the trap lines.

"Babe, it's the best way" Jack sighed, "If we replace all the equipment it will fail within a few months again. We have no idea how long this winter will last and will run out of cameras and sensors. What do we do in spring?"

"So you've counted" Ianto said as he chose a seat, flopping into it and waiting.

Everyone looked at him.

"I mean you put aside a complete refreshment amount for spring and then looked at what was left to see us through until then? Probably another four or five months by the feel in my bones. I mean, you did mean to ask me about the length I feel right, time is the thing you are arguing about."

More silence.

"I know the inventory lists, I have it all up here in my stupid baby brain" Ianto tapped the side of his head with a finger, the soft voice telling all of them that he was beyond pissed right now, "we have enough so that when a total refit is placed aside we would still have another eight months if we ... I mean you replaced on a monthly basis. Huh. I guess you didn't need me then, after all I am sure the others will be thilled to learn that you expect them to do daily patrols. Zs don't feel the cold ya see, like the ones we...er...a child found in our home."

More silence and uneasy glances as Jack stepped forward and knelt, "We don't know if we can get more. They might have to last us ..."

"Forever?" Ianto canted his head, "Luck has to run out sometime Cariad. So, we erk them out for another ten months instead of five. Wow. Big whoop. What difference will it make? Now is when we are in danger, the snow makes us vulnerable. You know as well as I do that we are trapped until the thaw. Please, tell me your long term solution when the equipment fails."

Ianto rose from the chair, "I am heavily with child....children as my mate points out. I do not relish walking topside in the snow to protect your arses. Maybe I should take my children and retreat to the safety of my inner sanctum and you can all do whatever you like."

"Ianto!" Jack huffed, "Hey."

"No. You all look to me, then scoff. You act like you need me and then go behind my back. I am pregnant, not infirm. You know what? I don't need this. The last thing I want to do is cry right now like a ducking drama queen but I am so tense and pissed that these hormones threaten to blow me apart. Fuck all of you, do whatever you want but my babies will not be unprotected. I did not do all this hard work getting us somewhere safe to have you all decided it's not needed."

Ianto stormed from the room and Jack raced after him, "Babe, please."

"Stop calling me that, I am still a man. I do not wear pigtails or a fucking frilly apron. I most certainly do not wear your promise ring. Just a wedding one it seems" Ianto was ranting now, people they passed turning with shock at the venom, "You go back to your little task. Go on, you go lock us down and bend over, kiss your arse and pray. I am not going to put myself or my unborns in danger. If the Zs come don't forget to aim for the head, oh and remember the Webley needs more ammo too."

Ianto stopped walking and Jack almost slammed into him, Ianto spinning to look at him and Jack saw the tears had started, "If we are not going on recons anymore because some think it's unnecessary we need to think long-term. This place will be unliveable and people will start to die. I will not watch it."

"Ianto" Jack sighed, "Stop being dramatic."

"Drama Queen, that's me" Ianto said in a silly feminine voice, "But don't worry, apparently I am still a babe!"

"Ianto, Hormone overload, come on, calm down" Jack begged, curing as Ianto sped up instead, entering the home he loved so much as starting to shove things into bags, "You can't take my children."

Ianto froze.

"Your?" Ianto turned his head and stared at Jack, "You will use them as hostages? I've to stay because of them? You will do that?"

"Ianto"

"Fine" Ianto sat on the bed, "Fine. I am now your hostage. You own me. I will stay for YOUR children. I will not leave this room!"

Jack resisted the urge to scream.


	58. sorry and whatever you want

"Ianto please, I didn't mean it like that, you know I react with piggery when cornered" Jack sighed as he sat next to his fuming mate.

"You're cornered" Ianto snorted, "Really."

"This is a democracy, I didn't decide this all by myself, I did argue about the time limits they imposed" Jack said calmly, "I did tell them you needed to be told, I thought you would be there when I was summoned. I really did."

Ianto huffed, looking at the ceiling as he considered, "I am hurt."

"I know, I see that love" Jack sat on the edge of the bed reaching for Ianto's foot but Ianto pulled it back with a glare. "Ianto, I would never hold you down, never control you. If you want to go to Shangri-La I totally understand, it might be bloody cold though. I just...I don't know. I guess I always thought we would be in charge. The problem with a large number of people means more people to disagree. We are not in charge anymore."

Ianto rolled to his side and rubbed his stomach as he considered, "Last time this happened I threatened to leave them. I told them they were on their own."

"And we almost lost everything" Jack agreed, "They have a short memory, I know Ifan is probably tearing strips off them now. Let's just go. We will spend the night at the other place, not been there for a while and I know Frank and Dean will be excited to go there. Yeah?"

"Stop trying to handle me" Ianto muttered.

"Ianto, please"

"Boy?" Ifan spoke softly as he entered and saw his sulking grandson lying with his back to his sorrowful mate "The committee would like a word."

"They don't need me, they made that clear" Ianto's voce was muffled as he hugged Jack's pillow.

"Tell them he is upset and wants time out. We are going to Shangri-La for a few days. They can sort things and I know my son will probably try to keep things running so we don't get a repeat of last time. We all know they want to do what Ianto suggested as well as wheedle a bit. Ianto is not ready for an apology yet. They can look back over all we have done for them, then when he is ready they can talk to him."

"Right-o" Ifan sighed, leaving them to it as Jack reached out and this time Ianto let him rub his foot for a while.

"I'll pack, what do you want to take love?" Jack asked after a while and the answer was a soft snore. Jack felt his heart melt as he realised Ianto had fallen asleep while sulking and he slid around the bed to look at the sweet face he knew so well.

He heard Marley approaching, her own baby bump prominent with a little girl sitting in it, her wee face one of consternation. Jack lit up, "Rose!"

"Someone started leering up like someone stole her favourite binky" Marley said as she went to sit on the bed, then saw that Ianto was asleep so chose a chair, "He OK?"

"The committee just upset him, he's been overlooked" Jack said softly, "We are going to Shangri-La for a few days, I know Billy will want to keep things going but you can come with if ya want. Ianto would love a wee cuddle fest with you and the kids."

"Sounds good to me, Frankie too?" she asked as she rose and Jack reached for the baby as he saw her struggling from the chair, "Thanks Dad. I had no idea the weight. My back is killing me some nights and getting comfortable is a battle. Billy is so patient with my twisting and turning in the bed. I slept on my hands and knees with my bump in the warm spot last night."

"Well, I resorted to sleeping in a lazy boy chair so who am I to judge" Jack shrugged.

"I will go pack a few things, I would love a wee break. I am sick of the four walls. Cabin fever. Will it be warm up there? What am I talking about, of course the place is in some suspended time warp thing" she snorted, moving off with her scent lingering as Ianto stirred.

"Marls?"

"Was just here, brought the wee Rosy bum" Jack said calmly, "She would like to come with us and have a wee break and cuddle. She's bored and fed up poor thing. Her first baby, she's uncomfortable."

Ianto immediately focused on a project he could handle, "Ah, poor love. Backache starting?"

"Yeah, can't sleep. She needs a little help with it, shall I sort the bean bags do you think? They might be the go." Jack asked as he checked the nappy bag, "Babe? We got any more naps?"

"Bonnie is sewing some more" Ianto sat up and yawned then rubbed his eyes in that adorable way he does, "Was gonna pick them up later."

"Well, what say you go get them while I sort some food, I have no idea what we have in the cupboards" Jack suggested and Ianto smiled as he heard Jack letting him go lift something, the cloth nappies a heavy bundle to carry back.

Jack watched him go pleased he had woken in a happy mood, knowing Boomer would return carrying them and talking ten to the dozen about the little transporter he and Jack had been working on for the tunnel system. Boomer loved someone to talk to and Ianto was always receptive to his ponderings.

That would calm Ianto a bit.

He hoped.


	59. sheets and rosebuds

Jack was right, Boomer's deep voice announcing the return of his mate and Jack was pleased to see Ianto seemed happier, his hands clasping his large bump as Boomer carried a large bundle that must hold more than just nappies.

"Bonnie made some cot sheets as well" Ianto said, now glowing happily, "Little pink ones, so cute."

"Those ones Martha tore?" Jack asked as he reached for the parcel, "With the little rosebuds on them? I did wonder what she was going to do with them, she looked so heartbroken when she went to get them off the line and found the hole."

"Pretty Cariad!" Ianto said with wide eyes, over the hormonal jag that had startled them both. Jack was relieved, also still repentant for once again being a douche.

"Right, what else are we taking love?" Jack asked as Ianto looked around, seeing Jack had everything pretty much packed. They were climbing into the buggy to drive to the other lace when Kev slid up, a basket of fresh meat that had Ianto's mouth watering and he placed it in the back.

"I'll come, need to remember the turns to visit with your fresh meat" Kev said happily as he settled next to the basket and they sped along, stopping to scoop up their children. Hope seemed annoyed but then saw Frank and settled, telling Bella she could be in charge of the pigs.

This time.

Kev stepped up though the doorway into that other world and froze, the balmy warm air seeming to whisk around him as the green grass beckoned.

"Where are we?" he asked slowly.

"This is my place" Ianto said as he crouched awkwardly to pet a rabbit, "This is a pocket of not-space in not-time."

"Huh?"

"The Mara are an ancient race of creatures that have lived on this planet linger than the trees. They control things, they...well. They helped make Ianto special. This is a little pocket or bubble if ya like. The water comes from where they take it from. The sun shines and the rain falls, all as they choose. Seems like they wanted Ianto to remember spring is coming eventually by giving us a lovely spring day. " Jack smiled as he looked around at the flowers and smelt the fresh air, then turned to Kev again "Just don't fuck them off. A bit..killy killy die die. Ya feel me? Like....Ianto's killer instinct was not always that...killer."

"Huh!"

Kev loved the house, the little play tent inside and especially the hot water.

Ianto liked the hot water too, that was new.

"They've not given me hot water before" Ianto said to Jack, "Look. Even labelled the taps for me so I would know. I mean, not my first baby, I wonder why?"

"Maybe they realise how hard the twins are and want to reward you for being so great at growing them?" Jack tried, "You deserve nice things. A lovely hot bath. You deserve that, they are telling you that you can have that."

Ianto stared at him for a while then turned away. Marley looked at Jack and smiled apologetically, "Not quite, but that time you almost had it."

"Yeah" Jack sighed, "I know."

"This isn't all your fault" Marley said and Jack felt a swell of affection for her defending him, but knows he has to explain.

"This is not the first time. You see, when it all hit the fan he was betrayed. By us. His friends. We almost killed him believing him dead already. We were cruel, he is just in his anger. So many times he has sacrificed for the good of the community, even before there was Billy. Not just for our children, but for everyone. Memory is a tricky thing, some people forget the bedrock this place was founded on even though I named Holdfast after him. Ianto? Can't forget." Jack sat and rubbed his face, "They need him more than he needs them, we know that and right about now they are panicking as they realise the shit in the wrong basket."

"Huh?"

"Pot? I always get that wrong. Babe?" Jack yells, "What is the shitting one? Shit in it?"

Ianto stepped out of the bedroom, just his boxers on and his large girth now looking huge in the half light. He blinked at Jack, "Shit in the pot or get off?"

"That one!" Jack grinned "Yeah. Ta babe. Always knows the words I am looked for, he used to write my reports for me, they sounded ever so nice. Her Majesty once asked if she could have him for her speeches, I told her to get her own. Mine was not for sharing. Weird, back then I could say it to her and not to him. Now. Now, look at that vision glowering at me seductively from the doorway to our boudoir"

Ianto blinked, then blushed as he shook his head and turned to go to bed "Twypsn."

But Jack caught the flash of pleasure and rose to follow, checking his baby was happily playing on the floor with her siblings. Frank laying there giggling as she crawled over him like a monster.

Jack went to whisper some more thoughts into that shell-like ear that was such an amazing recorder of facts.


	60. so?

Ianto had been expecting them, obvious as he placed plate after plate of sweet goodness on the table and then flopped in a most un-Ianto-like way into the huge chair at one end of the table. The twins were making him uncomfortable today and he had finally agreed to the large Mumu style tunic instead of traditional clothing. After two months of ignoring their pleas for him to return and enjoying the reports from Billy that they were not only sorry but in chaos he was finally ready to hear them

He was also warm and fat.

So what!

Ifan could tell his grandson was both crotchety and uncomfortable so he started without any preamble, "They want to start getting organised for spring, get the groups together. A clean-up crew, roading gangs and such."

Vic was biting into a plum and humming as the juice exploded, the Mara providing Ianto with so much fresh fruit and vegetables that the house looked like a fruit sellers, the little raspberries in the bowl Ianto was currently eating from still warm from the sun. From wherever...ah...whenever they had picked them for him.

"Two months gone, two more to go give or take a day or two" Ianto said calmly, "I have been enjoying my time away, glad you have not killed one another and will continue to stay here as my time grows near. In two months the thaw will begin and there will be need of a team to go topside and check the pipes in the houses, snow damage to roofs and such."

"Right" Boomer was writing quietly as Sean nodded and leaned forward to address his brother.

"How are you feeling?" Sean smiled as he looked at the large bump.

"Sick of waiting" Ianto replied with a huff, "They will come out in a few weeks or less I think. They feel ready."

"Wow" Sean said with wonder, "Two? Two in two. Do you need anything?"

"Just Jack" Ianto smiled, "This time I will birth here where I feel safe. With my other children near, all of us safe. You are my brother and I would feel comfortable with you here, with the children while Jack tends to me in the bedroom if you would like to come. Alice will also be invited to attend."

"Well, you look a lot more relaxed and happy" Sean told him with a shrug as he looked at his own beaten hands, a thumb nail black, "I wonder if the others know you chose to endure the winter with them when you have this little retreat."

"Well, I am starting to wonder why I did too" Ianto frowned back, "Not like they really need me. Maybe I should consider spending some of the winter here instead of there. I always thought I was doing the right thing remaining with the pack, thought they might need me or something. I now see it isn't so. I know now that I would not be missed."

Sean caught the hurt in the words and turned to their grandfather who was nodding softly, also listening to Ianto's passive aggressive threat. He made a motion with his hand to leave it alone, also having weathered hormonal jags before and knowing Ianto might be more forgiving once the baby madness settled a bit.

"Well, I need to break it to your Nainny, you know she will want to be here when it is your time. She does love to fuss on you and greet the new ones." Ifan rose and Ianto sighed.

"I know Poppy, another reason I stayed was for her. I know she worries when she cannot see me." Ianto admitted, "But ... I think right now I need this. Please know you are welcome to visit anytime, a select few are always welcome but right now I feel the need to nest. To pull back into a space of safety. I am vulnerable right now, only going to get worse and I enter the last stages. I want my final days full of joy and love."

"You speak like it's a death sentence" Vic said softly, reaching out to pat his hand, "Come on mate. It will be birth, not death we seek here."

"Twins" Jack muttered as he looked into his cup, "Too large a task. Too strong. It will be both. In order to ensure their survival he cannot birth naturally, it will take too long. In all likelihood they are already preparing to enter the world. They are Wolfling, do you not realise they will tear themselves out if they are not cut from him?"

The group stared at him as Ianto reached for another raspberry, "Cariad is right. When the pains start he will have to act swiftly so they don't panic. He will have to cut them from me and I will likely die for a while."

"Shit" Kev huffed, his eyes wide as he looked from each face around him, "Shit and fucking hell."

"It's OK, I will come back" Ianto assured him, "But for a moment or two...the longest breathless moment for Jack, I will be gone. My children will feel me die through the bond, can't be helped. Even if we explain it will not buffer the feeling of loss and fear they will endure until I take a breath again."

"But...you will come back" Kev asked nervously.

"He is the good wolf" a small voice said with a bored tone as little Hope walked past, "He will always come back, even if you lot do not deserve him to. He will come back for me and my pack."

"Always dumpling bum, Taddy will always be here" Ianto crooned lovingly, kissing her cheek as he cuddled her and she laid on the bump was her hands spread wide across the expanse, "Me and Daddy will always be here."

"And soon..." she whispered, "...these two will be here too."


	61. callng time?

Ianto needed the grass beneath his feet. He padded out into the early dawn to stand and sink his toes into the lush lawn, his face tilted up to the creeping sunlight and he smiled, the scent of jasmine filling the air as he listened to those creeping closer.

He wore only PJ bottoms, riding low as his huge bump ... well he had started thinking of it as a tumour, also got kissed by the light. Ianto knelt with great discomfort to allow those who wanted to touch do so and little hands stroked lovingly as he once again closed his eyes and allowed the Mara to commune with the precious lives inside.

Jack found him like that, sitting cross legged in a lovely patch of grass surrounded by small creatures and Mara, all lovingly rubbing against the pups that would soon join this world, his heart swelling as he looked at his handsome mate who looked like a bloody god.

"Hey Tiger"

"Cariad" Ianto sighed softly.

"What do you need Holdfast, my love?" Jack asked as he knelt, knowing the time was growing late as the stomach shifted in response to his voice, the children were seeking space.

"My back aches" Ianto said softly, "My feet are so swollen I can't feel them below the throbbing of my ankles so maybe helping me stand might be nice."

"Oh darling, they are giving you a hard time" Jack said as he helped Ianto stand, his hands sliding around the large stomach to take some of the weight from behind so Ianto could lean into him for support while unbalanced.

"Come on love, Nainny is here to help you bathe and Poppy sent some fresh blood" Jack said as he helped Ianto up the steps and into the house, alarmed as Ianto seemed to wilt against him with a soft groan, then recover. "Babe?"

"I'm OK, just aching like a bastard" Ianto sighed, struggling to the large nest of bedding waiting in the living room, the upstairs bedroom no longer accessible to him.

"Alice has sent some milk through as well love, hopes to visit later today. Her and Ebony will take turns to make sure there is fresh milk each day ready for the new arrivals. Fay offered as well, the lovely girl but we let her down gently. Owen is sure her little bugger is drinking her dry and needs a bit of weaning actually." Jack did a good job of distracting Ianto who worried about her for a while and then realised Jack had found his 'cankles' clucking his tongue as he rubbed them gently to ease the ache.

"I know" Ianto sighed, "I am holding so much fluid I feel like I am sloshing. I really can't wait for this bit to be over, the horrible part to be done with and the calm repose of recovery."

"Calm repose" Jack snorted, "Did you just hear yourself ya bloody nutter. When has anything in our life been calm?"

Ianto giggled softly, watching as a small bird hopped into the kitchen and onto the bench to watch them.

"You can watch for a while but if you shit in me den I will eat you feathers and all" Ianto warned and it bobbed it's head to show it's amusement at his empty threat, then flicked its tail to reveal a lovely little fan of feathers.

"That's not from around here" Jack said with surprise and Ianto huffed.

"Cariad, its spring in here" Ianto told him, "Smell the air. We are in a little pocket somewhere warmer, less contaminated and still full of magic. Goes to reason their creatures can come in as well."

"So this little bubble of life moves? Like a wee Tardis or something?" Jack was confused now as Iano laughed.

"I don't think it moves, more like they move space and time here." Ianto shrugged, "Who knows. Little imps are not likely to explain the ...oh."

"Ianto?"

"Jack, I...argh" Ianto grabbed for his stomach and grimaced as Jack slid to his knees, mild panic as he reached for the stomach that seemed to be undulating, then as he touched it he felt it go rock hard.

"Ianto?"

"I think...Braxton hicks I think" Ianto groaned, "Not the strong feeling like the other two. No, this is the warning. It's starting, my body is adjusting."

"Well, we don't want you in full labour" Jack rose, "We need Owen here. I think he can best tell if those two are OK in there, the first sign of trouble and they come out."

"Agreed" Ianto nodded, "I feel it in the air, my taste buds crave fruit juice not blood. The time of growth has passed, they are cooked."

"Then lets get that mad medic in here before he is needed" Jack smiled, seeing only joy in Ianto's face as the time of waiting was almost over and his babies were ready to join them in this realm.

Jack hid his fear as he smiled back, wanting it over as well.

And everyone safe.


	62. wishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](https://postimg.org/image/rytwqeg8f/)

Owen took a second reading as Ianto got annoyed, "Owen!"

"Easy there fat boy" Owen said gleefully, "Last time I get to say it while you are too fat to reach me!"

"Bastard" Ianto snarled as he tried and flopped back, braying with laughter.

"Well, the beasts seem fine but Thing 1 seems to be a bit sluggish" Owen sat back and frowned, "The one on top today. The boy."

"Burn" Ianto said softly, "He is on top, his sister wants out first and he is already letting her have first dibs."

"Well be that as it may, he is the one I want out" Owen huffed as he moved to straddle Ianto, "Are you ready for this today?"

"Now" Ianto confirmed, "I am ready, have been all morning."

"Right, the other kids are not likely to wander in are they?" Owen glanced towards the door, "This is gonna get messy."

"Hope will do as she pleases" Ianto answered calmly, "Dean will stay out, Frank has instructions to distract him and is a good little boy who will play with him forever if need be for me."

"He is a good little boy, isn't he" Owen beamed, "So proud of all my kids, he's a wee bottler."

"Marley might want to be here, to see so she is not so scared if she needs the same help" Ianto said as he glanced over at Jack who rose to collect her, then turned back with the unspoken question. Ianto knew and shook his head, "Billy is patrolling, too nervous love."

"Ah" Jack nodded and slid out of the room, Owen watching the side door to the yard slid closed before turning to face Ianto.

"Right. Truth or dare."

Ianto started to laugh softly as Owen poked at him and then Ianto choked out "Truth."

"Is everything OK?" Owen asked softly, "Here? With this? With you two? We good?"

"Yes brother" Ianto smiled as he felt a swell of affection, "I have forgiven, as I always do. They feel fine, I am not afraid as I know I will come back. The babies worry me, Dean especially. This will be the first time he loses me through the bond and is close enough to feel it."

"Frank will be there for him, also let's not forget Bella. She came with me. The three musketeers will be fine together" Owen soothed, "You know they temper him."

"Yeah" Ianto nodded as he settled more, "I just feel different with these ones, maybe it's the twin thing. They seem to talk to one another more than us out here."

"I will be here and we both know Jack will tear his own heart out if yours doesn't start quick enough" Owen said as he fiddled with his PDA, "He is a silly bastard and sometimes makes you so mad I see your eyes flash like you are a dragon about to set him on fire, but then I see the love. Funny isn't it, you and me. Two little boys who always felt we were in the wrong place. Look at us now."

"Right where we need to be" Ianto smiled lovingly, reaching for Owen's hand, "Loved."

"Yeah" Owen grinned happily, "Loved, wanted and so bloody happy. For all my stupidity, ya know I am not that stupid. I know the things you do for me, I know that amazing girl of mine comes to you and you talk her down when she wants to cut my throat in my sleep. Ta for that."

"Owen, after all we've been through surely by now you know that I am floundering around as well, only I am not completely in the dark. I see points of light, I let them lead me" Ianto admitted.

"Stars?" Owen asked, "Like, the ancient mariners you are being led by the stars?"

Ianto smiled as he realised Owen was right, his future had always been written in the stars, had he not spent such a large amount of his life looking up at them, wishing on them?

No more wishes, he had all he ever wished for.

Family.

Love.

Home.

Ianto lay back as Owen started to wash his belly at the incision point and he looked out the window and saw a small face peering back. He smiled and nodded, then watched it slip away no doubt to call the others to the dell.

Ianto knew what he felt, what he had always wished for and what he knew he would always feel now.

The one thing he had wished for as a small child. The same thing he knew Owen had wished on the exact same stars and his love for his irritating friend calmed him as he closed his eyes and remembers standing in the darkened backyard with the crisp evening air and the soft sound of crickets in the bushes.

He had wished to belong.


	63. Ah ... there they are

Jack knelt holding Ianto in his lap, looking down as Owen started to cut, breathing out as the scalpel slid across the lower belly. Jack watched Ianto for signs of discomfort but he smiled up at him to show he was OK as Owen gently reached into the incision and started to feel for a baby.

"Here we go, first one to see the light is...." Owen crooned, then his face exploded into a huge grin, "Tum. Oh baby, your brother let you out first huh? Already giving into you is he?"

The baby was silent, just a little hand grasping his wrist as he helped her onto her Taddy's chest. Jack laughing as he reached down to help wipe her down. Owen went back to work as both men looked at their little one, her eyes open staring back with an eerie calm.

"Hello sweetling" Jack crooned, gently wiping her face as she blinked and then her mouth opened, a little squeak in return as she tried to respond and Jack laughed through his tears. Then her brother was there, his hands searching for his sister and they clung to one another as they looked at this strange new world, the heartbeat of their Dam soothing them as he struggled not to cry.

"Cariad, take them for a minute" Ianto whispered, "I...I am failing."

Jack and Owen moved the pups to Ianto's breasts, ensuring them the first drink with the extra goodness he provided before he motioned that it was time. They moved back and Jack handed the babies to Marley and Ifan who looked at them and crooned to keep their little attentions as Ianto went limp in Jack's arms, Jack struggling to hold him as he watched Owen clean the mess from his body. Jack had hoped this might not happen but of course Ianto had been right. He was too weak, had given the pups all he had including the last of his strength. This is why they were not afraid, why they were alert and shiny.

The noise stopped.

All noise.

Time seemed to stall out as Jack watched for any sign of regeneration in his Holdfast.

Ianto seemed to convulse and then shudder as he woke, blinking as his Wolfling eyes focused, weirdly angry as they bored into Jack.

"It's OK babe" Jack soothed, "It's OK. Look at me, focus on me."

Jack watched Ianto blink and those eerie eyes change to human form once more, Ianto taking a deep breath and then smiling softly as he reached up to touch Jack's cheek.

"Hey" Jack sobbed with relief.

"Where are they?" Ianto demanded, struggling to sit up at he slapped Owen's hands away and looked around.

"Here Tad" Marley whispered, sitting in the edge of the nest to show the little girl in her arms and the boy was held out by Ifan, settling him back in Ianto's arms. Ianto looked at them and saw Jack in then as well as himself, the tufts of dark reddish brown hair not really a surprise.

"Tum and Burn. Hey there" Ianto whispered.

"Autumn and Auburn." Jack said with pride, "Welcome to the world."

"Oh Jack, they are so cute" Ianto gushed, "Look. Look, they have your eyes!"

"Actually, looks like they have both. See the grey circle around the outside? They are so deep."

"Wow" Marley sighed as she looked as well, "Can I have one?"

"You will have your own any day" Ianto laughed, "Get off!"

"Taddy?"

"Come on babies" Ianto said proudly as he heard Hope calling out and she shot in followed by the other children, Dean hanging back with huge eyes taking in the blood and gore as Owen slid the soiled bedding from the nest. Although their Taddy looked healthy and alert they had felt his departure from the bond and were afraid, "It's OK. Taddy is OK, come meet the new pups."

Frank's hand was warm in Dean's lower back as he encouraged him closer and they peered down at the babies, Frank first to squeal with glee as a baby raised a little hand to wave.

"Wow, they have rusty hair!" Dean said stupidly, Harkness brain in toady it seems, "Look at that"

Frank huffed and shoved at him so he could get closer, his lips peeling back as he scented them and then crooned, letting them touch his face.

"Frank, that's Frank. He is like a big brother and he will love you and squish you and protect you until you are big enough to protect him. Yeah" Ianto crooned, "Frank is our friend, lovely and true."

"Frank is mine" Dean said with a defiant look, "I will share but he is mine. OK? Really, he will always be mine first."

Jack and Owen gaped as Dead declared but Ianto was ready for it and smiled as he agreed, his hands stroking little naked bodies with loving care.

Billy entered, bringing the smell of winter on his clothing and Ianto beamed as he welcomed the newlings, his face glowing with excitement as he touched each baby gently, stroking the wee tufts of auburn hair.

"Tired now" Ianto whispered as he rubbed his face against Jack's chest and Jack crooned as he let them removed the pups and ease Ianto into the fresh set of bedding. Ianto snuggled into the warmth as the babies were placed in a soft cloth basket and placed back next to him, his hand able to cover one as Jack lay on the other side of the basket and let his hand rest on the other tiny body.

Time skipped and began once more.

The woods around them exploded with sound as everyone spoke at one, the creatures of the wood revelling in the new pups.

Wolfling young.


	64. hi there

We are leaving the winter now spring finally here fourteen months after winter first bit at their toes.

It has been nine and a half years since Z-Day, the harsh long winter Ianto dreaded is giving way to a wonderfully bright spring. Billy and Marley have a little princess that has her Granddad more smitten than her GrandTad, if you can imagine that.

Of course, people are still multiplying even as they might decline.

**.**

**.**

**.**

91 souls

(Including 1 Weevil 1 Wolfling 5 whelps)

And the giraffe is still there too…don't ask, I think Steve is tired of it all.

.

.

Part 6, Spring Forward is now running ...catch up quick.


End file.
